Everything is fair, in love and war
by TTigerz
Summary: The new Guardians have been found and are training under Will and Taranee. Angelo, Cassidy, Andrew, Mandy and Joel have returned as well. Now the real deal begins, will they win or will Hay-Lin end it all? Last part of the series. Sequel to "A new begin"
1. Chapter 1

_**[A/N] Lexvan has written a sort of sequel to "A new begin". He has allowed me to use his OC Angelo, which I'm very grateful for. I suggest you read his story "Warriors Unite" before continuing with this story. If you ignore this suggestion then don't come to me when you don't get the story.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of W.I.T.C.H. It belongs to their makers. Please support the official release.**_

_**Disclaimer 2: Angelo is Lexvan's OC.**_

_**[A/N2] For those who don't remember Mandy. She appears in V is for Victory in which Phobos, glamoured as Matt, kisses her to make Will cheat during her swim-off against Mandy.**_

**Everything is fair, in love and war.**

**Chapter 1**

_2 days before Angelo's arrival at the rebel camp._

Ehren was in her own tent. Though she normally slept in one of the other girls tents, she used her own to stash her belongings. She didn't have much from her former life before the death of her parents but what she had was precious. Now, however, she was holding a set of dog tags. She was looking at it and she felt tears falling from her eyes.

'You promised you would return.' she whispered. 'Yet, you're still gone.'

She grabbed the tags tighter and hugged herself. She cried softly when she heard some footsteps.

'Yo! Ehren! Are you ready?' Edeline said.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Ehren's hugging and crying position.

'Hey.' she said concerned. 'Is everything okay? You know you can talk to me.'

Ehren turned around and looked at Edeline. Edeline saw that her eyes were red and poufy and that tears were running down her face. Edeline hurried to Ehren and hugged her tight.

'Hey, come on.' she said. 'Please, Ehr. What's the fuss?'

Ehren hugged her.

'Just thinking about a stupid promise from a stupid person.' she lied.

'Liar.' Edeline said. 'I know when you lie and this one was obvious. Tell me.'

Ehren sighed.

'Sorry, Eddy. I rather not talk about it. At least not now.' she said dreary.

Edeline released Ehren from her hug. She looked at Ehren and knew that her friend wasn't ready to talk. She nodded before smiling at her.

'Okay then.' she said. 'Then I suggest we move on to a different topic. Come on! Today is the day we are going to ask!'

Ehren immediately brightened up. She smiled at Edeline and got up.

'You're right!' she said. 'No time for crybabies!'

She walked to a chest in her tent. Edeline followed her close. Ehren opened the chest and took a smaller, more detailed refined chest out of it. She opened it and softly laid something in it. Edeline saw it were dog tags.

*Probably from her father* she thought until she saw what was standing on them. *Vanders, John? Who is that? Must be an important person for Ehren.*

Ehren turned around after closing the chest.

'Okay! I'm done! Let's move.'

The two friends walked out of the tent. They were immediately greeted by Ilana, Georgi and Natasha.

'That took you long enough.' Ilana said annoyed.

'Sorry, but a girl needs time to make herself pretty.' Ehren said while playing a bit with her hair. 'You should try it sometime.'

Ilana was glaring daggers at her but before any fight could break out, Georgi stepped in.

'Come on guys! If you two fight we can't ask for our little exploration! We need to show some teamwork.' she said, standing between the two girls.

The two of them just nodded grimly at each other. They were planning their little trip for a week now. Ilana was almost completely recovered while Georgi had no injuries left. They couldn't afford to lose their chance for a little fun.

Natasha sighed in relief.

'Thanks Georgi.' she said. 'I think that you just stopped a war.'

Georgi grinned at Natasha. 'Maybe I can stop the bigger war as well.'

Natasha grinned back. 'Maybe.'

'Sorry to spoil the happy mood.' Ilana said a little grumpy. 'But do we have any idea where Will is? She might as well be on another world for all we know.'

'Nah. She doesn't go off to other worlds. Not with Hay-Lin on the prowl.' Ehren said, waving Ilana's concern away.

Then a sudden noise attracted their attention.

'WILL! Get off of my computer!' Martin's voice rang through the rebel base.

Ehren cracked a grin as she looked at Ilana.

'See here, another mystery solved.'

Ilana gave her a small smile before the group headed to the source of the noise. When they arrived they saw a rather amusing sight. Will was sitting behind Martin's computer while Martin was slamming on some bubble that encased Will and his computer. Some rebels were looking at the scene in great amusement.

'Give me a minute.' Will said, not looking up from the screen. 'I need to check something.'

'Then use your powers!' Martin yelled. 'You're the Oracle!'

Will didn't look up while replying.

'Might be, but I'm still limited. So for that time, fat chance Martin.'

'Let me in!' Martin demanded. 'I need to process the new information!'

'You can do that later as well…' Will said absently.

'That's it!' Martin said as he turned around. 'Taranee! Can you come and talk some sense into Will?'

Taranee came through the crowd. She walked to the bubble and ticked it slightly with her fingers. She then turned to Martin.

'Sorry Martin. Can't do anything.' she said. 'If Will sets her mind on something you cannot bring her on different ideas. I'm afraid you have to wait.'

Martin looked as if Taranee had bitch slapped him. He wanted to say something when Will gave a cry of joy.

'So that's how!' she yelled triumphantly.

The bubble disappeared and Will walked up to Taranee.

'That's how what?' Taranee asked curiously while Martin hurried to his computer.

'How Cornelia and Irma got enthralled.' Will explained. 'I've found some files of a couple of years ago that Martin had stashed in his computer. That and I read the mails Cornelia had sent to you. Mind telling me why they are stashed on his computer as well?'

'They're there cause when I want to remember the happy times, I read them…Wait you were in my mail?' Taranee said shocked.

Will smiled playfully at her.

'Anyways, I know why Corny and Irma got enthralled.'

'How?' Taranee asked, her curiosity taking control over her urge to scold Will for reading confident mail.

'By using their families as well, only different.' Will explained.

Taranee looked confused. 'What do you mean?'

G.E.N.I.E. was also listening carefully while Will started explaining.

'Simply put, she killed their families without killing them.' Will said, confusing Taranee and G.E.N.I.E. even more.

Will noticed Taranee's confused look and continued.

'I've read your mails with Cornelia. I read that Cornelia had been teaching Lilian how to use her powers as a Heart. This, of course, is a great threat to Hay-Lin. Even though she has one of the Regents under her control. Then I read some old newspapers, saying that two families had disappeared. And according to the last mail you received from Cornelia was not from Cornelia, but from Lilian.'

'Lilian?' Taranee asked. 'I thought it was Cornelia…'

'That's because the mail was magically altered.' Will explained. 'I noticed it and took the liberty to change it to its original state. It said: Taranee, Cornelia has taken sides with Hay-Lin. I don't know why this happened. My big sis wouldn't do something like this… I warned my mom and dad as well as Chris' parents and him. Why not Irma? Because it was Irma who took Cornelia for a "big announcement" with Hay-Lin. I'm not that stupid. Please Taranee, run now! They'll go looking for you. And warn Will as well! Hope you'll stay safe. Lilian.'

Taranee looked impressed. 'I never thought that Lilian would do something like that. She's really growing up, isn't she?'

'Yeah, she and Chris are 16 now.' Will said with a sad smile.

'But what does this have to do with Irma and Cornelia?' Taranee asked, not understanding.

'The mail was sent before either Irma or Cornelia were enthralled.' Will explained. 'The only thing I can suspect is that Lilian had a vision about Cornelia and Irma being enthralled, which she mistook for something that happened in real life. And, I'm guessing again, I think that Lilian convinced her and Chris' parents to leave. Hay-Lin must have taken notice of this and devised a plan. She made some images of Cornelia's and Irma's family, both hanging on the ceiling, tied up. When Irma and Cornelia walked into Hay-Lin's house, they saw their families hanging on the ceiling, or at least they thought so. They were also ambushed by at least 40 men. Of course the two of them took them out, but before they could manage to get to their "families" Hay-Lin appeared and blew them against the wall, without any way to escape. Hay-Lin told them that, if they wouldn't cooperate, their family would die. She demonstrated it by "killing" both their parents. This made Cornelia and Irma so desperate that Hay-Lin saw her chance. Instead of simply employing them, she enthralled them.'

Taranee looked shocked at Will. She would have never thought that Cornelia and Irma would have been in such a situation.

'But what about their real families? Did Hay-Lin get her hands on them as well?' she asked.

'Nah.' Will said as she shook her head. 'They found something that could block them from Yan-Lin's sight. They are hidden, but that's all I can tell you.'

Taranee sighed in relief. 'At least they're safe.' she said.

It seemed as if the two were done talking. G.E.N.I.E. looked at each other, unsure if they could barge in with their question.

'For how long are you five planning to stay there?' Taranee asked as her look went to the five girls.

They jumped out of surprise and blushed deeply. They walked to the two leaders.

'Sorry, we didn't mean to eavesdrop.' Natasha apologized.

Will raffled through her hair.

'Don't worry.' she said. 'It wasn't a big secret or something.'

Natasha smiled at Will. Her heroine. Thanks to her Natasha had finally some friends and a family. She felt happy again.

'So I guess you need something from us, am I right?' Taranee said as she grinned at the five.

The five girls looked at her in wonder.

'How did you know?' Georgi asked.

Will and Taranee laughed.

'That's the same way we looked at our parents if we needed something from them, so spill.' Will answered.

'Uhmm… Well… You see…' Natasha started nervously.

'We wanna go explore the Infinite City.' Ehren said confidently.

Natasha flashed her a small smile before turning back to Will. Will looked at each of them. Taranee sighed.

'I thought I told you this before. I don't want you 5 to run amuck through the Infinite City. You'll get lost and it's too dangerous. Besides Ilana is still injured and you five still can't control your powers.' she said.

The girls slumped while Will kept looking at them.

'Please, Taranee.' Edeline begged. 'We'll be good girls. Please?'

The other four joined in and were now all looking with puppy dog eyes at Taranee. Unfortunately for them, Taranee was highly resistant since this was also Irma's favorite technique.

'No.' she said.

The girls were making amends to go away when Will spoke up.

'You really want to go, am I right?'

'Yes. We really really REALLY want to go.' Natasha said, now using her puppy dog eyes on Will.

*If I get a "yes" from Will then that means that we can go, regardless what Taranee says.* she thought with a smile.

Will picked her thoughts up and smiled. She saw that the other four were getting to the same conclusion as they were now using their puppy dog eyes on her.

'Hmmm… Let me think.' Will said, teasing the girls.

Taranee saw that Will was planning on letting them go, but decided to wait and see what Will would make them do before they could go.

'Let's make a deal.' Will said with a smirk. 'I give you 7 days to explore. If you're not back on the 7th day I'll come and get you and you 5 will have to stay here and practice till you drop. This also means that if I have to save you or if someone else saves you that you failed. But if you manage to get back in time, Taranee, Caleb and I will give you more freedom. How about that?'

The girls glared at Will. They then huddled together to make a decision.

'So what do you say?' Natasha asked.

'I say, go for it! This is our chance.' Ehren said.

'I don't know, what if we fail?' Ilana interjected.

'You shouldn't think about what if we fail.' Georgi said.

'I agree with Georgi. Think of the possibilities that we'll get when we have more freedom!' Edeline said.

'If you put it that way…Okay, why not?' Ilana said.

'Then it's settled.' Natasha said as the other four nodded.

They turned to Will.

'We accept your terms.' Natasha said.

Will smiled at them.

'Okay then. Go pack your stuff, make sure you've got enough food and water for 7 days.' she said.

The five girls jumped in joy and wanted to go pack when they were stopped by Taranee.

'Hold it right there.' she said.

She then turned to Will.

'Are you nuts?' she said. 'You know as well that there are more and more Lurden sightings. Even here in the Infinite City! What if they run into them?'

Will shrugged.

'That's how we learned how to use our powers.' she answered. 'Is there any better way to learn how to trust your instincts than to end up in a battle?'

Taranee couldn't answer that one. Will saw that she outsmarted her friend and turned to G.E.N.I.E.

'Go on. I'll meet you at my tent when you're done.'

Taranee was speechless as she followed Will to her tent. 10 minutes later the five girls entered the tent. They were fully packed. Taranee sighed as Will gave them one hug. She as well hugged all of them.

'Be careful.' she said as the five girls walked away from the rebel camp. 'And may the Lord watch over you.'

'Don't worry!' Ehren said as she waved at Taranee. 'You know us!'

'That's exactly why I'm worried!' Taranee called after.

The five disappeared out of sight. Taranee sighed. She felt a hand touching her shoulder. She looked around and saw Will.

'Don't worry.' she said with a smile. 'They're more like us than you know.'

Taranee smiled back.

'Yeah, and remember in what sort of mess we got ourselves into.' she replied.

Will put both her hands behind her head as she turned around and walked back to her tent.

'Well I'm off to figure out a mystery or two.'

Taranee watched as her friend walked away. She shook her head and smiled. Sometimes she thought that Will was too laid back to be the Oracle, but the aura she had around her made it seem so right.

_5 days after Angelo's arrival_

Taranee was reading a book while she was resting her head on Nigel's stomach.

'Taranee?'

'Mmmm?'

'Now with Angelo and the others back, don't you think we should plan an attack on Hay-Lin and Kandrakar?' Nigel questioned.

Taranee laid her book down and sighed.

'Well, I would say yes, but then again that would be to rash.' she answered.

'Yeah, you may be right. Let me guess, Will told you and Caleb that, didn't she?' Nigel said.

'Well… no. It's something I saw already. Besides Will is too caught up in whatever research she is doing.' Taranee answered.

'Yeah, what is she researching anyway?' Nigel questioned.

Taranee shrugged.

'I don't know. After Angelo's return she became all quiet and stuff. When I get a word out of her it's something like: "You will see." or "I first want to see if I'm right." She either meditates or sleeps or reads books these days.'

'She looks a bit like you then.' Nigel teased slightly.

Taranee nudged him.

'Hey, I'm not that of a nerd.'

'That's why I love you.' Nigel replied while giving Taranee a kiss on the cheek.

'Mmmm.' Taranee said with a smile as she started reading again.

_In Will's tent_

Will was meditating. She was floating in the air and her eyes were closed. Some sweat drops were visible on her calm face. A soft halo of white light was surrounding her. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she fell on the ground, butt first.

'Whoaa!' she yelled as she hit the ground.

Angelo ran into the tent when he heard Will scream. When he entered he saw her sitting on the ground, rubbing her butt and muttering to herself.

'I swear, if they are going to make me meditate for 7 hours straight I'll blow something up! This is inhuman!' he heard her mutter.

Angelo smiled as he slowly made his way to Will. He checked his wrist, making sure that Will couldn't sense him thanks to his bracelet. When he was standing behind her he grabbed her shoulders quickly, trying to scare her. Unfortunately for him, the year that Will spent at Hay-Lin's as her head of assassination made Will very aware of her surroundings and made her act quickly in case she was attacked. She grabbed his hands and threw him over her shoulder in an instant, surprising Angelo.

'Whoa!' he yelled as he landed on Will's bed.

'Angelo!' Will said surprised when she noticed it was him. 'I'm soooo sorry. Caleb or Taranee normally try something like that! I'm very sorry!'

She walked up to him and helped him up. He saw concern in her beautiful hazel eyes. It still nagged him that he had feelings for Will. She was his best friend! He couldn't risk to lose her friendship, not after almost losing her to Hay-Lin. He smiled her concerns away.

'Ah, don't worry.' he said with a smile. 'I've had worse back on Erutan.'

She smiled at him, giving him a small tingle in his stomach. She did something that surprised him. She hugged him closely.

'Wow! Will! What's up with the sudden hug?' Angelo asked surprised as he allowed Will to hug him.

'I'm just glad that you're back.' she said. 'After I saw you going through that fold… You have no idea how much that hurt me.'

He smiled as he hugged her back.

'Yeah, I'm glad that you're okay yourself. I really thought that Hay-Lin would have enthralled you when I saw Aunt Susan appear in my dream.'

Will broke the hug and looked confused at him.

'You've seen mom?' she said surprised.

Angelo started rubbing the back of his head as he looked nervously at Will.

'Well, you see… It was back on Erutan. The night before we came here I had a dream. I was in a sort of palace or fortress or something like that and it was completely white. Then I saw some bald guy coming to me with the same sign on his head as you are wearing now.' He started explaining.

Will's expression darkened at the mentioning of the former Oracle but she kept her peace as Angelo continued.

'He welcomed me and asked me to follow him.'

_Flashback_

'Welcome Angelo Vanders.'

Angelo looked confused at the bald man in front of him. The guy was about his height, totally bald, around his age and was wearing a white robe while having a weird symbol on his head.

'I'm sorry, but have we met?' Angelo asked. 'And where am I anyway?'

The man smiled at him.

'You are dreaming.' the man said. 'And no, we haven't met.'

Angelo took a good look around. He saw giant white walls and he couldn't even see the ceiling. He looked out of the windows and saw nothing else but clouds and sky.

'Okay, to get this right. I'm dreaming, yet this is real, right?' Angelo said as he fixed his gaze back on the man.

The man smiled again. 'Good deduction, Angelo Vanders.' he said.

'You know, you know my name but I don't know yours.' Angelo said a little irritated.

The man kept smiling.

'You're right, that would be rather unfair. Call me Himerish.' he said.

Angelo looked at the man. He didn't seem to lie but then again, all the guy does was smiling. Angelo smiled back awkward.

'Now, Angelo. Please follow me, there are some people waiting to see you.' Himerish said as he turned around.

Angelo saw him walking away and he quickly went after him.

'Hey! Wait a sec!' he said.

He followed Himerish through the fortress quietly. Himerish stopped in front of a pair of doors. He turned to Angelo.

'They are here behind these doors. Please, walk through them.' he said as he stepped aside.

'Who are waiting for me?' Angelo asked cautiously.

Himerish smiled at him.

'You'll see.' he said before he disappeared.

'Hey!' Angelo yelled. 'Where did you go?'

He looked around, but he couldn't find Himerish. He glanced at the door.

'Well, I'm not getting anywhere by standing here.' he said and pushed the doors open.

A bright light blinded him and Angelo closed his eyes for the light. When he thought it was safe enough to look he gasped. There were 4 people standing there. They were all smiling at him. His feet finally got their feeling back and he slowly walked into the room. The closer he got the better he saw the details. Two women, both of different origin were smiling at him while the two men, both of Afro-American origin, waved at him. One man and woman, both old of age, were holding each other's hands while the other two, younger than the first pair, stood next to them. All of them were wearing white robes. When Angelo was close enough he looked them in the eyes.

'Grandpa Joe? Grandma Kadma? Uncle John? Aunt Susan?' Angelo questioned as he looked at them.

'Yeah, Angelo. It's us.' Susan Vandom said as he looked at the man.

Angelo couldn't hold himself and hugged his uncle. His grandparents and Susan joined in the hug as well. When Angelo broke the hug he looked at them.

'How?' he asked. 'You…You're dead… Aunt Susan are you dead as well? Or is this just a nightmare?'

A part of him was hoping that it was a nightmare but another part of him knew that this was real. Susan smiled sadly at Angelo while she shook her head.

'I'm afraid not Angelo.' his uncle said. 'Susan died about a week ago.'

Angelo clenched his fists. This meant that Will had no-one left. That she would be alone or maybe already enthralled by Hay-Lin.

'Aunt Susan, I'm so sorry.' he said softly.

'Don't be kiddo.' she said. 'I've had a wonderful life. I've got a beautiful and wonderful daughter, who will end this drama and I've got a nephew who will help her, right?'

Angelo looked at her. He saw her hope and smiled weakly. He then saw that Kadma laid her hand on his shoulder.

'Angelo, I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you for pretty much a big deal of your life.' she said. 'But you've grown into a firm young man. I know you'll do what's right.'

'Kiddo, we're counting on you to help Will in every way you can.' his grandfather Joe said.

Angelo looked at his family. They were all here to tell him what to do. They were placing their hope in him. And boy, he wasn't planning to let them down.

'Count on me!' he said with a confident smile. 'I'll get Will back and we will help the rebellion to take Hay-Lin down!'

'That's my boy!' Uncle John said as he ruffled through his hair.

'I'm glad that you see why we came here.' Susan said with a smile. 'When you see Will, tell her that I'm still as proud as ever of her.'

Angelo hugged Susan again.

'I will aunt Susan. I will.' he said.

'I know you will Angelo. I know you will.' Susan said as she released herself from his grip.

They slowly dissolved and Angelo knew that this was the end of his dream. And the beginning of his mission.

_End flashback_

Will smiled at him.

'He still likes to interfere in my life.' she said.

'Who?' Angelo asked confused.

'The former Oracle.' Will replied. 'The bald guy.'

'He…He was the former Oracle?' Angelo said shocked.

'Yeah, he came to tell me what my task was.' Will said while pointing at her tattoo. 'But thanks for passing mom's message to me.'

Angelo saw that Will was hiding her sadness and he slowly caressed her cheek. A tear drop fell from her eye on his thumb.

'Hey, it will be okay. We're together, we're stronger and it's just a matter of time before Corny and Irma join us as well.' he said reassuringly.

Will smiled at him when he noticed that her eyes went to his bracelet. With a swift motion she swept it off his wrist.

'Hey!' he said. 'What's that for?'

'Shh.' Will said as she was inspecting the symbols on the bracelet. 'I know these symbols.'

'You do?' Angelo asked surprised.

Will didn't answer as she was further inspecting the bracelet.

'Of course!' she yelled suddenly, surprising Angelo.

She rushed past him, still holding the bracelet.

'Hey! Will! What are you doing with my bracelet?' he yelled as he ran after her.

'I think I know who these things made!' Will said. 'Just need to verify it on Martin's computer.'

This definitely got Angelo's attention.

'Wait for me!'

_Back in Taranee's tent_

Taranee and Nigel were enjoying the silence they had when Caleb bursted in.

'Taranee! Do you know where Will is? She isn't in her tent.' he said.

Taranee put her book away and got up. She looked at Caleb with a bored expression.

'Caleb, you know that you don't have to panic if Will disappears, right?' she said bored.

Caleb glared at her.

'I know that.' he snapped. 'I just…needed to ask her something.'

Taranee raised an eyebrow.

'Right…' she said.

Caleb glared again at her when Nigel spoke up.

'Dude, isn't she with Angelo?' he questioned. 'I mean those two are nowadays never far away from each other. Try looking for him'

For some reason Caleb looked angrier than first.

'Why is she with Angelo?' he demanded.

Nigel shrugged while Taranee pretty much knew the answer.

'I don't know. Those two have grown up with each other so…' he started, only to be warned by a subtle nudge from Taranee.

Unfortunately that was enough for Caleb. His face reddened and he was about to leave when a yell was heard.

'WILL! I LEAVE FOR JUST 5 MINUTES AND YOU ALREADY STOLE MY COMPUTER! AGAIN!'

The three looked at each other and sighed. It was evident that Will was using Martin's computer without permission. Again.

They hurried over to Martin's computer and saw something similar to 7 days ago. Only this time, Will and Angelo were inside the bubble while Martin was hammering on the outside. Taranee noticed that Caleb was getting angrier by the minute. He walked to the bubble but before he came close enough to help Martin with the hammering, the bubble disappeared. Will was cheering while Martin fell to the ground and Alchemy rushed up to him to see if he was alright. Taranee, Nigel and Caleb rushed to Will and Angelo. Angelo looked happy until he noticed that Will had stopped cheering. The four of them looked at Will, who was now staring at the distance.

'Will? Will? What's going on?' Caleb said as he grabbed her shoulders in concern.

Will blinked slowly before her face paled.

'Th-The girls.' she said, heavily confusing Angelo.

Cassidy, Mandy, Andrew and Joel came running to the group as well.

'Do you guys always make such a ruckus or is it me?' Cassidy joked as she was pointing at Martin.

She and the others then noticed Will's terror stricken face and Taranee's, Nigel's and Caleb's concerned look.

'What's going on?' she asked.

Will ignored them and got up. Caleb grabbed Will before she could move any further.

'Will, what's wrong?' he demanded.

Will looked at Caleb with eyes of regret.

'The Lurdens found them.' she said, shocking everyone. 'They are now fighting them but the Lurdens are with bigger numbers. I need to go help them.'

'I'm coming with you.' Caleb said.

'Me too.' Taranee added.

'Who's is trouble?' Mandy asked confused.

'The new Guardians.' Will explained as she was making preparations to teletransport.

'If they are in trouble, then we'll help. Right guys?' Angelo said while looking at his team.

'Yeah!' Joel said.

'New Guardians sound like new hope. I'll help you no matter what!' Cassidy said with a wink.

'If they need help, I'll help them.' Andrew said.

'Of course I'll help! Who knows how they're faring now?' Mandy said concerned.

Will looked at her friends. She smiled at them and then nodded.

'Normally I would say no, but I can't decline you guys a moment to shine.' she said. 'Let's go!'

_**The girls have gotten themselves into trouble. But luckily Taranee, Caleb, Will and the Warriors of Erutan are ready to save their asses. And what did Will and Angelo find on Martin's computer? Find out (maybe) in the next chapter!**_

_**PS. Don't forget to review.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

'Ehren behind you!'

Ehren turned around just in time to evade a spear. She saw that the horde of Lurdens was still following them and they were getting closer. A fireball shot past her and hit one of the swords of the Lurdens. The Lurden in question dropped it because it was glowing with heat. Ehren looked at the girl and flashed her a smile. Ilana returned the smile before focusing on the Lurdens.

'They're with too many!' Natasha said. 'We need to get away!'

'Easier said than done!' Edeline said.

She made a small fissure in the hope to keep the monsters away but the Lurdens jumped over it. Georgi blew some air at them, making them stumble and fall in the fissure.

'Thanks!' Edeline said.

'Anytime.' Georgi replied with a bow.

'They're surrounding us!' Ehren yelled when she noticed the coming horde that came from behind.

Soon the girls were surrounded by Lurdens.

'Come on girls! This is what we trained for!' Natasha said as she made her hands sparkle with electricity.

The other girls followed her lead. Ehren covered both her and Georgi's hands with water while Georgi froze the water on their arms, making ice gauntlets. Ilana coated her hands with fire, Edeline with vines with which she could grab and strangle targets beyond her reach.

The Lurdens came at them with their weapons held high. The girls, thanks to their training with the assassination squad and the rebels managed to take at least 30 Lurdens down. They were now panting heavily when it happened. Ilana got hit on her back with a sword, reopening a wound from her torture sessions.

'Ilana!' Ehren yelled in concern.

Natasha hurried to Ilana and bent over to help her stand. Right when she ducked a giant stream of water came over her, knocking a line of Lurdens, who were standing behind her, down. When Natasha and Ilana noticed this they turned gratefully to Ehren.

'Thanks Ehren.' Ilana panted. 'They'll stay down for a while.'

Ehren looked confused at them.

'What are you talking about? I can't shoot such a powerful water jets.' she said.

'Then who did?' Natasha asked curiously.

Edeline turned around to fend off some more Lurdens when she suddenly paled. She started to point and stammer, making the remaining girls look at her in confusion.

'I-I-I th-th-think i-it-it-it's h-her!' she said scared.

The girls looked at what or who Edeline was pointing at and paled immediately. All five girls have seen her at least once and they knew that they were done for.

'It's Irma!' Ehren yelled in fear.

'Oh man! We're done for! No-one can stop her!' Ilana moaned softly.

The girls huddled together as Irma slowly approached them. The Lurdens made way for her while she slowly advanced. She stopped in front of them and pointed at Ilana.

'You will come with me.' she said in a zombie like tone.

The other four went to stand in front of Ilana, protecting her.

'Listen sis. If you want to get Ilana then you have to go through us.' Ehren stated while glaring at Irma.

Irma shot a jet of water at Ehren, shooting her a couple of meters backwards.

'Ehren!' the girls yelled.

Edeline quickly went to Ehren and helped her getting up. The remaining girls glared at Irma.

'You'll pay for that!' Natasha yelled as she shot some lightning at Irma.

Irma blocked it with a powerful water shield, but didn't counter.

'You are magical as well?' she questioned, again using the zombie tone.

The girls didn't answer so Irma spoke again.

'Then you must die.' she said.

She created millions of tiny water drops and shot them at the girls. The drops hit them and ripped their clothes, and created slashed markings on their faces, legs and arms. More of Ilana's old wound reopened and she was bleeding more than before. Irma created a big ball of water but before she could sent it at the five helpless girls a voice rang through the space.

'Taranee, you go and take on Irma! We'll deal with the Lurdens!'

The girls looked hopeful around them, hoping to see their saviors. They managed to see someone flying over the Lurdens while another figure towered over the Lurdens. A lightning sound was heard and suddenly Taranee was standing in front of the girls, facing Irma.

'Taranee!' the girls yelled happily.

Taranee glanced quickly at them and noticed the girls' injuries. While she faced Irma again another lightning sound was heard and Will appeared.

'Will!' the girls said in joy.

Will smiled at them before glancing at Irma as well. Irma's face was immobile while she looked at two of her former friends. Her eyes were hidden by a shadow.

'Irma! Can you hear me?' Taranee said, trying to get in contact with Irma.

'Taranee. Will.' she said zombie like.

Taranee smiled, thinking that Irma was breaking free again. Will however had the feeling that there was something completely wrong with this. And she was soon proven to be right.

'Enemies of Miss Lin are enemies of mine.' Irma said dryly as she pointed her hands at Taranee.

She shot a giant jet of water at Taranee, who blocked it with a fire shield.

'Irma! I don't want to fight you!' she said hopelessly. 'Come on! You can fight this!'

Will, who was watching Irma's movements as well as healing Ilana's injury, noticed Irma's eyes. They were empty, as if Irma was soulless.

'Taranee! It's no use! She has been completely enthralled!' Will yelled.

Irma fired another blast of water and Taranee defended again. Taranee looked at Irma and saw that Will was right.

'Then I guess I have no other choice.' Taranee said sadly. 'Fire!'

She shot a massive fire ball at Irma who dodged the attack barely. Ilana and Ehren were looking in wonder at them. Seeing their elements being used in such a way and so strong was both scaring and amazing them. Taranee and Irma kept trading blows, sometimes from close distance and sometimes from long range. The girls could see that Irma and Taranee were evenly matched. The longer that Taranee and Irma battled the more Lurdens fell. When the last Lurden fell the girls could take a good look at their saviors. They recognized Caleb but they couldn't recognize the man coated with stone, the woman with black hair who was dressed in a pair of dark violet pants with a black belt, boots and a black tank-top with a V-stripe on the front and violet forearm guards and violet round shoulder pads with black fingerless gloves and huge white bird-like wings, the man with brown hair who was dressed in a pair of dark brown pants and belt with dark blue boots and a dark blue short-sleeved shirt with a dark brown battle harness over it along with black fingerless that went with his silver forearm bands, the man with blond spiky hair who was dressed in a pair of dark gray pants with black boots and belt with a dark green short-sleeved shirt and dark gray forearm guards with dark gray, leather shoulder pads and black fingerless gloves and the woman with brown hair who dressed in a dark blue top, skirt, and forearm bands and a pair of black shorts and black boots with black fingerless gloves who was holding two ice swords. Or at least they were a mystery to Ilana, Edeline, Natasha and Georgi.

'Cassidy? Mandy? Joel? Andrew?' Ehren whispered softly and confused.

Though none of the adults was paying attention to the 5 girls. They were all watching the fight between Irma and Taranee.

'Taranee pull back! We'll jump on her and end the enthrallment!' Andrew yelled as he held a bracelet.

Taranee was slowly pulling back when Will jumped in. She blasted Irma back to the ground with an immense power. She then let herself crackle with energy, making Natasha look in amazement at her. She slowly walked to Irma while the others were shouting out of surprise and disdain.

'Will? What are you doing?' Andrew yelled angered.

Will ignored him as she walked close to Irma. Irma slowly backed away, though holding the same expression. Will grabbed Irma at the front of her dress and held her high.

'Return to your mistress.' she said coldly. 'Tell her that she will have to do more then to send just 100 Lurdens and you to catch us.'

Everyone who heard her voice shivered. Will wasn't speaking in a way she normally does. Her voice was cold and loud. It held a sort of hidden power that made everyone tremble. The Lurdens who managed to get up backed away in fear while Angelo, Cassidy, Andrew, Joel, Mandy, Taranee, Caleb and G.E.N.I.E. were trembling where they stood. What they didn't know was that Will was conversing with someone while she looked at Irma. Namely, with Irma herself.

*It's sad that this is the only way for me to communicate with the real Irma without the enthrallment spell throwing me out._* _Will thought as she started invading Irma's mind.

She had always thought that Irma's mind was full of things. Weird, funny, sad and happy memories and stuff. But when she entered Irma's mind it was empty. Will searched for some time when she finally saw her. Irma. She was captured in her own mind. Imagine Houdini in one of his escaping tricks, but then Irma instead of Houdini. Irma was tied in chains, with no way to move and a iron box held her completely in place.

*_Irma!*_ Will said telepathically.

She saw Irma react and saw that Irma's eyes were looking through the tiny hole in the box. When she noticed Will her eyes lit up and Will saw some tears.

*_Will!*_ she replied. *_I can't believe it! You're here!*_

Will smiled as she walked up to the box. But when she close enough to touch it a shock came out of nowhere, shooting her back.

*_Will! everything alright?*_ Irma asked concerned.

*_Yeah, just surprised that's all.*_ Will replied while rubbing her head.

*_I'm sorry. I should have stopped Hay-Hay when I noticed that things went wrong.*_ Irma said apologetically. *_Just you wait. When I get my hands on her she'll wish she never killed my parents! Or Corny's for that matter!*_

Will looked sadly at Irma. She was completely enclosed by traps and chains, with no way out.

*_Parents… That's it!*_ Will said as she looked at Irma.

*_What's it?*_ Irma asked confused.

*_Don't worry Irma. I know a way to get you out!*_ Will replied before starting to disappear. *_Just promise me that you'll never give up hope!*_

*_I won't!*_ Irma replied. *_And Will. I know Andrew is there with you. Tell him that I love him.*_

*_I will.*_ Will said. She then left Irma's mind.

Back in the real world she was still holding Irma. No-one had moved while Will was holding Irma and no-one dared. She suddenly released Irma and at the moment she released Irma, Irma teletransported away, taking some Lurdens with her. Will stopped crackling with energy and kept her back turned to the rest. Andrew, Mandy and Joel walked angrily at Will.

'Will! What have you done?' Joel demanded.

'We could have saved her! Releasing her from Hay-Lin!' Andrew yelled angrily.

When Will wasn't responding he grabbed her shoulders and turned her roughly around. When he looked at her he saw that she was crying.

'I'm sorry.' she said. Her voice sounded calm but it was evident that she was emotionally hurt. 'She is too strongly enthralled to be released by the bracelets.'

Andrew and the others looked at her in disbelieve. This meant that there was no chance in getting Irma or Cornelia back.

'I knew that Hay-Lin had enforced the enthrallment spell, but I never knew that she could make it this strong.' Will said. 'I'm sorry.'

She wiped her tears away and walked back to the five girls who were sitting on the floor. Caleb and Taranee joined her hand tried to calm the girls. Will started healing them. She first healed Ilana's major wounds before going to the others. Angelo and his team hadn't looked once at the new Guardians. They were discussing on how to free Irma and Cornelia now that they've been completely enthralled. Angelo had shed his stone skin and was explaining the situation to Andrew, who seemed to be in a big shock. When Ehren saw Angelo as well she couldn't hold it. She slowly got up, ignoring her wounds, and started walking to the group. Will noticed this but let her go and she stopped Taranee and Caleb from trying to stop her. Ehren slowly walked to Angelo. None of the Warriors had noticed that Ehren was coming to them and also didn't notice that she was coming from behind Angelo.

'What is she doing?' Edeline whispered.

The other girls shrugged while Taranee answered with a smile.

'Saying hello to a dear friend.' she said.

Ehren hugged Angelo from behind. Angelo, who was startled by this action, turned around and recognized the person who was hugging him.

'Angelo! You came back!' Ehren cried. Tears were rolling over her cheeks of happiness.

The Warriors now noticed Ehren and looked surprised at her. Angelo smiled as he hugged Ehren back.

'Hiya squirt.' he said. 'I told you that I would return, didn't I?'

'But it took you a whole year!' Ehren moaned. 'What did you do? Did you start a knitting club?'

Angelo laughed softly as he broke free from Ehren's hug. Ehren got hugged by Cassidy, Joel, Mandy and Andrew.

'Now tell me squirt.' Angelo said.

'This squirt has a name!' Ehren replied back.

'That's what I said, squirt.' Angelo teased.

Ehren pouted while the Warriors laughed. When the laughing subsided Cassidy spoke up.

'Ehren, what are you doing here? We heard from Will that the Guardians were in danger.' she asked.

Ehren pushed her chest proudly forwards.

'That's right!' she said. 'I'm a Guardian now.'

'You are WHAT?' the five yelled as they looked from Ehren to the other girls and then Will.

Will had finished healing the other four and walked now to Ehren. She acted as if she didn't know about what they had been talking and started healing Ehren's wounds.

'Will, please tell me that she's joking.' Angelo said.

'Joking about what?' Will asked innocently.

Ilana, Edeline, Georgi, Natasha, Taranee and Caleb walked to the group as well.

'Is she really a Guardian?' Mandy asked.

'Not only she!' Edeline said proudly as she walked next to Ehren. 'We all are!'

The Warriors looked surprised at the five girls. They then turned to Will.

'How is that possible?' Cassidy asked. 'The Heart of Kandrakar has disappeared and you and the others have the Aurameres inside of you! How can they be the new Guardians?'

'I can't help it that fate chose a lousy moment to choose new Guardians.' Will said with a shrug.

'I don't believe that they are the new Guardians.' Andrew said. 'From what I've heard, the Guardians are supposed to transform and have an immense control over the elements. They don't look like that.'

The five girls glared at him. They then looked at each other and an evil smirk crossed upon their faces. Will read their minds and knew their plan and smirked slightly. Taranee also read their minds and smiled big time.

'If I were you, I would apologize.' she said.

Andrew laughed, thinking that Taranee was joking. Suddenly he heard crackling of electricity. He looked at the five girls and each of them were glowing with a color. Pink, blue, green, orange and grey.

'Water!' Ehren yelled, drenching him completely as she gave the first demonstration.

'Quintessence!' Natasha yelled.

She shot some electricity at Andrew, shocking him lightly.

'Air!' Georgi yelled then, freezing him completely.

'Fire!' Ilana yelled, melting him again.

'Earth!' Edeline yelled, making tiny veins grow around his feet.

Andrew was a little dizzy by the attacks and looked impressed. Thanks to his transformation the attacks weren't hurting him as much as they were supposed to do.

'I stand corrected.' he said bluntly, making the others laugh.

The group laughed. All except Will, who looked a little sad.

'I think that you 5 could use some sleep.' she said, interrupting the happy mood. 'We move the camp and then you five go to sleep.'

The girls looked at each other. They still looked a little beaten up and they noticed that they were quite tired. After 7 days of exploring and one fight that nearly killed them they were pooped. They nodded as some of them yawned. The adults smiled as they teletransported away. Once in the rebel base the adults started to move the camp. Once they moved the camp, which took quite some time, the girls went to their own respective tents. Will forbade anyone to go with the five girls, so that they could have a good night sleep. Once the adults were sure they were asleep, the Warriors turned again to Will.

'Will, you're holding something back, aren't you?' Angelo said as he looked at her.

He had noticed that Will was quiet and dreary after he fight with Irma and he had the faint idea that she was holding something back. Will, however, turned away from him. She walked to her tent but found her path blocked by Andrew. He was now twice her size and looked very intimidating.

'Will. If you know something about Irma that I don't, I'll make you regret it!' he threatened.

Will glared at them before sighing.

'Fine, I managed to contact her briefly. She's canned like a sardine in her own mind and she told me to tell you that she loves you. Happy?' she said rather annoyed.

Andrew, who was still shocked about what Will just said, didn't move. He looked at her accusingly.

'And why didn't you save her?' he questioned coldly.

'Because…' Will said, turning her head away.

'Because what?' Andrew demanded.

Will started to glow with white light and pointed her hand at Andrew. An immense power came from it and Andrew flew through the rebel base, demolishing some tents.

'Because I'm too weak to do it!' Will yelled at him.

'Andrew!' Mandy, Joel and Cassidy yelled as they ran up to him.

Angelo noticed Will's tone and knew she was crying. She was blaming herself for being incapable of saving Irma. He walked to her, feeling sorry for her, but before he reached her she went away.

'I'm going to bed.' she said shortly.

Angelo wanted to go after her but was stopped by Caleb.

'Caleb?' he questioned.

'Let her go, man.' he said. 'She's been through a lot and I think this was the last drop. She needs her sleep.'

'But she is hurt!' Angelo said. 'I don't want her to feel like that.'

'Neither do I. But it's better if we leave her alone for now. The stress of being Oracle is getting her and she needs to sort out her own thoughts, without our help.' Caleb said.

He might see Angelo as a enemy when it comes to conquering Will's heart, he saw that he cared for Will. He patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him.

'Anyway, good job you did there.' he said.

Angelo smiled at him.

'Yeah, you weren't bad yourself. But excuse me, I think I need to go and check how Andrew is doing. I think Will hit him pretty hard.'

Caleb laughed. 'Yeah, I'm coming with you.'

Both of them walked away.

_**Well, Will made contact with Irma, only to find out that she is as canned as a tuna fish or even worse! Also the stress of being Oracle falls heavy on her. Just imagine, you are supposed to be the strongest being in the universe and, even with half your powers, you're not able to safe your own friends. That sucks. Anyway, don't forget to review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hay-Lin was pacing around in her room. Yesterday Irma returned, badly injured. After asking she found out that it was Will who injured her, with just 1 attack.

*How can she be this powerful?* she thought annoyed. *Not even her Quintessence power should be capable of doing this with one attack. Not if Irma defended.*

'That's it! That girl has been nothing but trouble. If you want to play rough, let's play rough.' Hay-Lin muttered as she looked at the window.

*_Cornelia! Irma! Report now!*_ she said telepathically.

Immediately Cornelia and Irma appeared. Irma still had a bruise on her arm but other than that looked unharmed. Both bowed down for Hay-Lin.

'Mistress?' they said.

'We're going to increase our army. After what happened to Irma I'm in need for some powerhouses or better yet, Hearts.' she said.

What Hay-Lin didn't know, was that she was being watched by someone. Will had once again, involuntarily, stepped out of her body and was watching Hay-Lin closely. Hay-Lin called for Matt and Matt walked through the door. He was dressed in a white suit with a black shirt and black shoes while holding a golden, with gems decorated box. She took the Tonga Tooth out of it and created a fold.

'First stop, Zamballa.' she said.

Will looked shocked at Hay-Lin as the four of them went through the portal. They arrived on Zamballa. To be precise, they arrived at the temple. Ironwood was there and seemed surprised by their sudden appearance, even though he couldn't see Will.

'Guardians! What is your purpose of appearing here?' Ironwood questioned. It was obvious that he didn't know about the coup on Kandrakar.

Hay-Lin scowled at him. She noticed that he wasn't holding the Heart of Zamballa and attacked him without warning. Ironwood was blown against the wall of the temple.

'Why?' he questioned confused. 'Why are you doing this and where is the Fire Guardian and your leader?'

Hay-Lin's look darkened even more at the mentioning of Will and Taranee. An evil glimmer flickered in her eyes.

'Do never mention the words "Guardian", "Fire Guardian" or "leader" in front of me! I'm my own leader and I'm here to claim the Heart of Zamballa.' Hay-Lin growled at him.

Ironwood looked at her in disbelieve. He had never thought that the Air Guardian would go rogue. Nor that the Earth and Water Guardian would join her.

'So here's the deal.' Hay-Lin said, snapping Ironwood out of his train of thoughts. 'You give me the Heart of Zamballa willingly and pledge to be my pawn and I won't order Cornelia and Irma to destroy the forests.'

Ironwood was shocked. He would never do such a thing, but his forests would be destroyed if he denied.

'Never!' he said.

Hay-Lin smiled evilly.

'Very well.' she said. 'Irma, Cornelia bind this tree to the wall and create a big enough opening to see the forests. Then go and destroy them.'

Irma and Cornelia did as they were told. Once Ironwood was tight up they started to thrash the forests. Will and Ironwood looked at the destruction, feeling utterly helpless. After an hour of destruction Ironwood finally gave in.

'Okay! Please stop this senseless slaughter!' he begged as he watched one of his brethren going into their defensive status.

Hay-Lin signaled Irma and Cornelia to stop as she looked at Ironwood with glee.

'So you will give me the Heart of Zamballa and pledge your loyalty?' she said.

'Yes.' Ironwood said as he hung his head.

'Good. Tell me where is the Heart?'

'I will take you there.' Ironwood said.

Will saw his plan but unfortunately for him, so did Hay-Lin.

'No, you'll tell me where it is or Irma and Cornelia will continue their attacks.' she threatened.

'Fine.' Ironwood said, knowing that he was defeated. 'You'll find it in the throne room.'

Will looked helplessly as Hay-Lin walked away and returned with the staff. She laughed evilly.

'Now Ironwood, pledge your loyalty to me.' she demanded.

Ironwood wasn't listening to her. He was trying to break free from his bonds. Hay-Lin noticed and narrowed her eyes.

'You are planning to either escape or attack me?' she questioned. 'So be it!'

She aimed the staff at Ironwood and shot a beam out of it. It hit Ironwood and he disintegrated on the spot. Hay-Lin laughed maniacally before going to the hole Irma and Cornelia created.

'Now, Heart of Zamballa, make everyone who inhibits this planet my slave!' Hay-Lin said as she waved the staff through the air.

The Heart of Zamballa released an energy wave that washed over the planet. Seconds later the forest moved and thousands of trees came to the temple. All bowed down in front of it.

'All hail Miss Lin!' they chorused.

Will looked in horror at what was happening. The balance of the universe was being thrown of whack and that all by Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin laughed maniacally and then motioned Irma and Cornelia to come to her. She then took the Tonga Tooth and opened a new fold. She went through it and Will managed again to go with her. This time they ended on Metamoor. To be precise, they landed in Elyon's castle. Elyon was waiting there like a zombie.

'Elyon, go and fetch the crystal with Nerissa in it for me.' Hay-Lin commanded.

Elyon bowed and walked away while Hay-Lin went to the throne room. Will followed quietly and saw that Hay-Lin was sitting in the throne with Cornelia and Irma next to her. Elyon came into the room and hurried to Hay-Lin. She bowed down and handed Hay-Lin the crystal.

*She isn't planning to… She is!* Will thought in shock as she watched Hay-Lin carefully.

Hay-Lin smiled and touched the crystal with the crystal in her staff. The blue crystal lit up and a figure of light came out of it. The figure became solid and it appeared to be an elderly woman. She had a hand of iron and she was holding a staff. A scar ran over her right eye.

'Nerissa!' Will whispered in shock.

She noticed something weird. She felt to different emotions coming from Nerissa. One that felt evil and the other felt like confusion. Will focused on Nerissa and saw that a shadow was looming over her.

'Nerissa.' Hay-Lin said with a cold voice.

Nerissa looked up and saw Hay-Lin sitting on the throne. The old woman didn't seem surprised and cackled loudly.

'So, Hay-Lin has joined the dark side as well?' she questioned as she looked at Hay-Lin. 'and you've already got the Heart of Zamballa.'

Hay-Lin smiled at Nerissa.

'Oh yes. I almost have Earth under control as well and Metamoor is already under my control.' she said.

Nerissa seemed impressed.

'Now let me guess.' she said. 'Seeing that you freed me of my prison you want me to help or join you am I right? I guess someone is crossing your plans and you don't like that. My guesses are that it concerns a certain Guardian leader…'

'Do not speak of her in my presence!' Hay-Lin demanded.

Nerissa laughed softly.

'Kukukukuku. So I am right. Tell me, why would I join you? The way I see it, I can better join up with your enemy and steal your power at the end of the ride.'

Now it was Hay-Lin's turn to smile.

'That may be true, but if you join me now I'll rid you of your body. I know that you're a virus that nestled inside of Nerissa, poisoning her thoughts and actions. If you join me, I'll give you a new body, an ageless one. With more powers than you've ever imagined.'

Both Nerissa as Will looked surprised. Will never knew this while Nerissa was impressed by Hay-Lin's knowledge.

'So you know.' Nerissa said. 'I admit, living in this body since her 25th year has worn it out. Your offer sounds good.'

Will paled as Nerissa bowed to Hay-Lin.

'I'll join you if my body goes along my expectations.'

Hay-Lin smiled.

'Power, if used right, is a beautiful thing to have. Yet your lust for power is what makes you weak and that is the chink in the armor of your soul. And all I need to make you mine!'

Nerissa's eyes widened as she figured out that she'd been tricked but is was far too late. A beam shot out of Hay-Lin's staff and it hit Nerissa. Nerissa screamed and a shadow came from her. The shadow landed next to the still screaming Nerissa. Out of the shadow a woman appeared. She had, just like Nerissa, jet black hair, but that was where the resemblance ended. Her eyes where green with her pupils that resembled those of snakes. She was dressed in a short-sleeved, black battle dress which was trimmed with golden symbols on the ends. While this person was slowly testing her new body, Nerissa had stopped screaming. To Hay-Lin's and Will's surprise Nerissa had reverted back to her 25 year old self while she was still wearing the old brown dress and she still had the iron claw-like hand. Nerissa fainted on the spot while Hay-Lin inspected her.

'Hmmm. It seems that it was the virus who aged her. Now that it's gone, she reverted back to the age of when she got infected with it. But the replaced body parts stayed the same… Interesting.' she said.

Will looked from Nerissa to the other woman. The woman was still testing her body until Hay-Lin attracted her attention.

'Good.' she said. 'I see that you're comfortable in your new body. Now, since you don't have a name on your own, I'll call you Vertex.'

Vertex bowed before Hay-Lin.

'As you wish, mistress.' she said in a high-pitched yet devilish tone.

It was evident to Will that Vertex, even if she was enthralled by Hay-Lin, was extremely evil.

'Now to test your powers.' Hay-Lin said. 'Be a doll and destroy your former host. She's useless now and may end up becoming an annoying pain in the ass.'

Vertes bowed again before turning to the unconscious Nerissa. She pointed her hand at Nerissa. Will knew that Nerissa would die if she didn't do something. But if she did, she would give her position away. A part of her was seriously telling her to let Nerissa die. It was her own fault anyways. Will saw that Vertex was charging an attack and it became crystal clear to her. She had to save Nerissa, even though a part of her wanted to let her die for her crimes, cause it wasn't her who did them.

She acted quickly. The moment Vertex shot the blast, Will jumped in front of Nerissa. She then created a magical shield to keep Nerissa safe and was prepared to take the attack head on, hoping that it would go through her projection. The blast kept going and when it was about to hit Will, Will knew that she had walked right into a trap. She quickly hid her Oracle mark with her magic as she felt that the blast was turning into a sort of magical cage. Hay-Lin cackled evilly.

'So it was you who has been tailing me.' she said as she got up from the throne and walked to Will.

Will ignored Hay-Lin as she tried to get out of the magical cage. Even though she was nothing more than a ghost, she couldn't phase through the magical wall.

'Don't try to escape, it 's all wasted energy.' Hay-Lin said as she watched Will struggle. 'This cage drains your magical energy.'

Will stopped struggling. She knew Hay-Lin was right. She could feel her magic being drained. Luckily for her, the cage chose to drain her magical source of Quintessence energy first, so her Oracle power was still safe. Though she wasn't sure for how long. She glared at Hay-Lin.

'How did you know?' she asked.

'Hay-Lin laughed coldly.

'After I had a little talk with my grandma, she told me that there was someone who eavesdropped on us. I immediately assumed it was you. Who else could be so annoying? Anyway, grandma told me that I was hallucinating. Who's hallucinating now?' she said with a evil smirk.

Will had stopped paying attention after Hay-Lin said that her grandmother had mentioned that someone had eavesdropped on them. She was now thinking of a way to warn the rebels and maybe find some help.

*If this keeps up, the spell that keeps the rebels from being seen by Yan-Lin and the barrier that keeps Nerissa safe from Vertex will disappear!* she thought concerned.

'Now tell me, how did you get here?' Hay-Lin asked coldly.

Will suddenly got an idea.

*Now let's hope that Alchemy or someone else is near my actual body.* she thought.

She concentrated her thoughts on her body, which was still laying in her tent at the rebel base, while ignoring Hay-Lin's demands. She then glared at Hay-Lin and interrupted her rant.

'Hay-Lin.' she said with a cold, firm tone. 'I don't know why you're here in Meridian castle or why you diverted Nerissa's evil into a new body, purging her from evil. I don't know why you captured me in the throne room but I know that you're trying to increase your forces and that someone will save me!'

Hay-Lin looked temporarily confused at Will before turning around, searching for something or someone. She held the Heart of Zamballa up high.

'Heart of Zamballa! Tell me if someone is eavesdropping!' she said.

The Heart of Zamballa shined brightly before turning dim again. Nothing else happened. Hay-Lin looked furiously at Will.

'I don't know why you interrupted me or why you said that but it's useless! There is no-one here who can help you!' she said.

Will smirked at Hay-Lin, infuriating her a little more.

'Who said that it was meant for someone here?' she said mysteriously.

_At the rebel base._

Alchemy and Taranee looked pale while they looked at Will's sleeping figure. Her body had just shined and they had heard something they wish they hadn't.

'Did she just say…' Alchemy started.

'That Hay-Lin captured her and used Nerissa?' Taranee finished.

The two looked at each other. Taranee gulped.

'I think so…' she said.

_**And that was chapter 3! Will's spirit has been captured by Hay-Lin while she tried to save Nerissa. Now Will is being drained and that could also mean that the rebels could be in trouble. Will they be able to save her? Or do they think that Will was talking in her sleep? You will find out in the next chapter…**_

_**Oh yeah! Since I'm worthless in thinking of outfits I'm going to ask you, my loyal readers, to give me ideas for the Guardian outfits of G.E.N.I.E. cause I'm clueless.**_

_**Review and tell me what you think so far and any ideas for Guardian outfits!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**[A/N] Thank you Lexvan for giving me some ideas for the Guardian outfits, it really helps a lot! Now that my test week is over I can continue with writing. Yay me! Now on with the story.**_

_**[A/N 2] The Blue Destiny is a sword that belongs to the royal family of Escanor, the human race in Metamoor/Meridian. It's belonged to Elyon's ancestor.**_

**Chapter 4**

'Caleb! Angelo!' Taranee and Alchemy yelled as they ran through the base.

As they searched through the rebel base, they bumped into Cassidy.

'Cassidy!' Alchemy yelled.

Cassidy turned around to see Alchemy and Taranee running at her.

'Okay, okay!' she joked. 'Where's the fire?'

She then noticed the concerned look on their faces and she grew concerned.

'Cassidy.' Taranee said grimly. 'We're in some big trouble. Where are the others?'

'Over at the training grounds why?' she answered concerned.

'Come with us.' Alchemy said with a grim look.

Cassidy followed Taranee and Alchemy, growing more concerned with every step she took. They arrived at the training grounds and they saw a big number of rebels.

'Go Angelo!' Ehren yelled.

'You can take him Caleb!' Ilana cheered.

The other rebels were cheering as well. Taranee, Alchemy and Cassidy pushed through the cheering crowd and saw Caleb and Angelo fighting each other. Caleb had his sword while Angelo was totally covered in metal and had his hand transformed into a sword. Both were exchanging blows at a high pace.

'Why are they fighting?' Alchemy asked.

Cassidy was looking at the two fighting guys while smiling.

'G.E.N.I.E. was practicing while we were looking. They said they had to because of some deal.' she started.

Taranee and Alchemy nodded while Cassidy continued.

'When they took a break, Angelo proposed that we could train as well. Caleb them came and asked for a 'friendly' spar with Angelo. They started fiercely and that was when I had to go to the bathroom.'

Flames flared up in Taranee's glasses as she sighed.

'Great, but I'm afraid that they have to test another time whose testosterone level is higher.' she said. 'Angelo! Caleb! Guys!'

Both Angelo nor Caleb listened to Taranee as they kept going. Taranee huffed annoyed while Cassidy and Alchemy giggled slightly.

'You really have to do more than that to get their attention.' Cassidy said.

'Do I?' Taranee questioned.

Within seconds a giant wall of fire appeared between Angelo and Caleb. Both stopped fighting and sought for the main source of the firewall while some rebels were booing.

'Taranee!' Caleb said once he found her. 'What's the meaning of this?'

'Yeah, why are you stopping us? I was winning!' Angelo said, gaining a glare from Caleb and some cheers and boos from the audience.

'We don't have time for your petty fights. Emergency meeting now!' Taranee replied before turning around and stalking away.

The rebels knew that this was their cue to bugger off and prepare for a fight. Caleb and Angelo glanced at each other before shrugging. Angelo returned his hand to normal while Caleb sheathed his sword. They then followed Taranee, Alchemy and Cassidy with the rest of the Warriors following them. Taranee was already in Will's tent when the others arrived. They all noticed Taranee's and Alchemy's concerned look.

'Okay T. What's the fuss?' Angelo asked.

'It's Will.' Taranee said. 'Hay-Lin has captured her.'

They all looked from Taranee to Will's sleeping form and back.

'Taranee, joking about this isn't funny.' Mandy said disappointed.

'It's no joke!' Alchemy said. 'Her body lighted up about 10 minutes ago and she said things like, that she was being captured and some Nerissa person having her evil removed and in a new body or something like that.'

'Alchemy, that's called sleep talking.' Caleb said, a bit grumpy after the mentioning of Nerissa.

'So your body lights up as well when you talk in your sleep?' Taranee spat at him.

Caleb glared back at Taranee when suddenly a light began to shine. Everyone looked at Will's body, which was radiating. It started to glow more intensely when it suddenly disappeared. They looked dumbfounded at Will's bed before the Warriors and Caleb looked at a smirking yet concerned looking Alchemy and Taranee.

'Care to explain this?' Alchemy asked cocky.

Caleb glared at Alchemy while the others were still trying to grasp the concept of what just happened.

'Okay, where did you say that Will was captured?' Angelo asked.

'Throne room.' Taranee answered.

'Great!' Caleb said. 'I've bugged that place last time I was there, so Martin will have some video evidence for us.'

They all nodded and went to Martin. Martin was working on his computer as usual when the group arrived.

'Hey guys!' he said, not looking from his screen. 'What's up?'

'Martin, honey.' Alchemy started. 'Can you look at the throne room for a moment?'

'Sure sugar plum cutie, but why?' Martin answered.

'We need some footage.' Taranee answered.

'Okay, from what time do you want to see it?'

'About 30 minutes ago.' Caleb said.

'Okay…here we go!' Martin said as he started the movie.

_Flashback 10 minutes ago__** [A/N] Will contacted Alchemy and Taranee 20 minutes ago but I don't feel like retelling that whole part again. So they've seen what happened to Nerissa and that Will is captured in the magic drain cage.**_

Will and Hay-Lin were having a glaring contest until Will fell on one knee while moaning softly.

*This cage is draining my energy too quickly. If this keeps up all of my Quintessence energy will be gone pretty soon. I need my actual body to slow this draining process down. But how can I summon it without Hay-Lin seeing me do it?* Will thought while looking at Hay-Lin.

Hay-Lin had seen Will's moment of weakness and was laughing coldly. Will was rubbing her ears.

'You know. For a villain you laugh an awful lot of the time and false as well.' Will said with a smirk.

Hay-Lin stopped laughing and glared at Will.

'I will not tolerate these words from my servant!'

'Sorry Hay-Hay. Last time I checked, I was your enemy and not you servant.'

Hay-Lin shot a magical beam at Will which, unfortunately for Will, hit her in the chest.

*Note to self. Magic can hit my astral body.* she thought.

'That should learn you your place.' Hay-Lin said coldly. 'And never call me with that accursed nickname ever again!'

'Go hump Eric.' Will grumbled annoyed.

This gained her another blow from Hay-Lin. As Will was panting heavily she managed to keep her glare at Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin looked coldly at Will.

'Why do you always seem to forget that I've got enhanced hearing?' she questioned.

Suddenly a sound was heard. It sounded like men fighting. A guard came running into the throne room and kneeled for Hay-Lin. The guard glanced at Will briefly.

'What's that noise?' Hay-Lin asked coldly, making the guard and even Will shiver.

'S-Some re-rebels a-are att-attacking the pa-palace, ma'am.' the guard stammered. 'They came from within.'

'Hay-Lin looked at Will with some hidden pleasure. Will answered with a look of sheer surprise.

'So you did manage to inform some of your little friends?' Hay-Lin asked.

Without waiting for answer she turned to the guard.

'You! You will stay here. Will can't go anywhere but I don't feel like leaving her alone. Vertex, Cornelia, Elyon and Irma. Follow me. It's time that that rebel scum gets what they deserve.'

With that Hay-Lin, Irma, Cornelia, Elyon and Vertex walked away. The guard gave Will a guilty look. It was her who saved him during the war against Phobos and she had let not only Meridian's army but also the Guardians to countless of victories. And now he had to watch her, being locked in a magical cage of which he knew that he couldn't open. Will on the other hand was grinning at him.

'I know it aren't the rebels that I know that are causing this ruckus, but boy does this help.' she said. 'Guard, I know you want to help me and all, but the only thing you can do now is turn your back to me.'

'My-My back?' the guard stammered. 'Why?'

'Just a precaution.' Will insured him. 'I'll tell you when you can turn around again.'

The guard did as he was told. He was smarter than to question Will. When Will was sure that the guard had his back turned she closed her eyes. She glowed a soft white and suddenly her body appeared in front of her. She smiled and her astral body disappeared. Immediately her body shot up.

*At least now my magic doesn't get drained too quickly. If Taranee, Caleb, Angelo or someone else doesn't quickly think of a plan I'm obliged to use my Oracle powers. I wonder why they are so weak now? The only thing I could do was that shield that protects Nerissa and summon my body. I feel so weak now… Is this cage the cause?* she thought as she sat in a lotus pose on the ground.

'You turn around.' she said to the guard.

_Back at the camp_

The Warriors, Caleb, Taranee, Alchemy and Martin were staring at the screen with big disbelieve.

'So, let me get this straight.' Martin said, slowly getting out of his stupor. 'Will was tailing Hay-Lin and got caught in a magical, magic-draining cage. Hay-Lin used that staff on an old woman. A shadow came off that woman and turned into a scary looking woman. The old woman reverted back into a 25-year old woman. Will protects that girl from Hay-Lin and now someone is making a ruckus in the castle.'

'I think that was all.' Taranee said slowly.

'And what do we do now?' Mandy asked. 'I don't think Will can break out of it or else she would have done that a long time ago.'

'I say we go now.' Andrew said.

'Andrew, I know you want to apologize to Will about your outburst and that you want to see Irma again but dude, this is Hay-Lin we're talking about.' Angelo said.

'It's not that!' Andrew said. 'Hay-Lin is now distracted! We have powers she doesn't know off! We can at least surprise her!'

'Yeah, we do that while she has the Heart of Zamballa, her own powers over Air, Irma, Cornelia, Elyon and that Vertex lady!' Joel countered. 'How are we supposed to take her down?'

'I think Andrew is right.' Taranee said, surprising the group.

'Are you nuts?' Cassidy asked. 'You aren't planning on making the rebels attack now, do you? That would be suicide!'

'No, listen.' Taranee said. 'Hay-Lin is new with the Heart of Zamballa. The only one of us who ever used a Heart was Will.'

'But isn't it a major risk? Betting on a wild card?' Angelo said. 'I also want to break Will free, but this is downright dangerous.'

'Weren't you the one who once said: Danger? I laugh at danger!' Cassidy said with a raised eyebrow.

'Well… That's different.' Angelo countered.

'No it isn't.' Taranee said. 'Now, listen.'

Meanwhile somewhere far away from Martin's computer, four girls were waiting. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fifth appeared.

'And Georgi? What did you see?' Natasha asked concerned.

'Will-sempai is caught in a magical magic-draining cage and Hay-Lin has some more firepower.' Georgi said pale.

The other four paled as well. They then turned to Natasha.

'What are we going to do now, Nat?' Ehren asked. 'If we ask if we could help they would definitely say no.'

'I know.' Natasha answered, slightly annoyed.

'Maybe I can try and change their minds.' Ehren proposed.

'Nah, Taranee knows we can do that. It was her who told you about it!' Edeline said.

'Oh yeah…' Ehren said. 'So what should we do? I really want to go and help! I don't want to sit at the side lines like last time!'

'Yeah, me too!' Edeline said.

'I want to help too! Will-sempai saved me!' Georgi said.

'She healed and cared for me!' Ilana added.

'Guys, I want to get her back as much as you but this isn't helping.' Natasha said frustrated.

'Hey, didn't Will say something about the Heart of Kandrakar?' Ehren said while looking at Natasha.

'Yeah, I remember her saying something about that it had many hidden powers.' Georgi said, now also looking at Natasha.

'And remember all those stories of how the Heart had helped them in nasty situations!' Ilana said, getting excited.

The four girls looked expectantly at Natasha. Natasha blushed under the sudden intensity of their gazes but then felt something. A warm and pulsating feeling in her right hand. She clenched her fist and raised it to eye height. Everyone looked at it and they saw that a soft pulsing light was coming out of Natasha's fist. Suddenly Natasha unclenched her fist and the Heart of Kandrakar floated above her hand.

'Wow.' Ilana said amazed. 'How did you do that? I thought it was stuck in your body?'

Natasha blushed slightly as she shrugged.

'I don't know. I wished that I could see the crystal again and it happened.'

'Do you think we can ask it something?' Georgi asked intrigued.

'It won't hurt us. I think.' Natasha said with a shrug.

'Do you think we should trust a piece of none living material?' Ilana asked rationally.

The Heart of Kandrakar pulsed temporarily a bit stronger, as if it was saying that Ilana had offended it.

'I don't know about you four,' Natasha said. 'but I know that as long as I believe in it with all my heart, that it will help me.'

The other four looked at the small pulsing object and felt a certain peace fall over them. The same peace they felt whenever Will was near them.

'Yeah, I think I know what you mean.' Georgi said as she looked at the floating orb.

'But what can the glowing jewelry do?' Ilana asked impatient.

The others shrugged but Natasha kept looking at the crystal. She could see a movie of sorts being played within the Heart of Kandrakar. She saw a girl around her age, with familiar red hair, cupping the Heart in her hands. She then released the Heart while saying something. Thanks to her year with the assassination squad Natasha could read the girl's lips. She ignored the demands of the others as she cupped the Heart in her hands, just like the girl from the image did. She then released the Heart.

'Guardians Unite!'

'Guardians what now?' Edeline asked confused.

The girls then saw that 5 very small orbs came from the Heart. The 5 orbs flew at each of the girls, engulfing them in light. When the light subsided the girls looked at each other in great shock, amazement and surprise. They looked different, older and they had a change of wardrobe. But the most interesting thing of all were the…

'Wings! We've got wings!' Ilana squealed in joy, completely forgetting her skepticism and floating a bit above the ground.

'The hell with the wings!' Edeline said. 'Look at us! We're older, we're stunning and we have kick-ass outfits!'

The girls had to admit that Edeline was right. They all had some pretty nice, yet weird outfits. Natasha's hair had grown longer. It resembled Cornelia's hairstyle when she was in Guardian form. She was dressed in a long sleeved pink shirt of which the sleeves were bell shaped. It also revealed her perfectly flat stomach. She also wore a long flowing turquoise skirt which was cut open on the left. She had turquoise and green stockings with a pair of high heeled, purple boots.

Ehren was wearing a turquoise long sleeved shirt as well but her sleeves were cut open on the left and right sides of the sleeves. Around her middle was a pink scarf. She had a short blue skirt, turquoise and green stockings and purple boots. Her hair was still tied in a ponytail and came just past the middle of her back.

Edeline was wearing a simple turquoise top which curled around her shoulders and bellybutton. She wore a long pink skirt with turquoise and green stockings and purple boots. Her hair was longer as well. It was now reaching right past her shoulders where it curled.

Ilana wore a short sleeved, belly revealing pink shirt and a pair of slim fitting turquoise pants which encircled her bellybutton. Her socks were turquoise and green and she wore purple ballerina shoes. In her curling hair was a small tiara which kept her hair out of her face.

Georgi wore a short sleeved, belly revealing, turquoise T-shirt with two turquoise bracelets which covered both of her lower arms. She wore a side pink pants with a sort of cord around her middle. She had blue and green socks and she wore purple tennis shoes. Her black hair was the same style as Will's.

They were admiring each other's looks for a while and testing their wings. All of them seemed to have a knack for flying.

'Do you think we're stronger as well?' Georgi asked.

'Why do you think that?' Ilana asked.

'I've heard Will-sempai and Caleb-sempai talk about it.' Georgi replied with a shrug.

'Ilana, make a fireball.' Natasha ordered.

'I don't think…' Ilana said as she created a fireball. It was bigger than she expected. 'Wow!'

Ilana was holding a fireball the size of a basketball while she had never created a fireball bigger than a baseball. The others were looking in amazement when suddenly an identical smile grew on all their faces.

'Let's go to Taranee.' Natasha said. 'They can't say no now!'

The others nodded and took off. As they flew through the base they heard several gasps and cheers from the rebels beneath them. They saw Martin and Alchemy at Martin's computer and decided to land.

'Martin, where are Taranee and the others?' Natasha asked.

'Gone on a mission.' Martin replied, not looking at the 5 girls. Alchemy had noticed them and her jaw had dropped.

Martin slowly turned around. 'And she told me to tell you that you aren't allowed to follo… habada!'

His jaw dropped as well and if Alchemy wasn't stunned by the girls' new attire then she would have wacked him on the head for that remark.

'So Nat, they're already gone?' Ehren asked, completely ignoring Martin and Alchemy.

'Yeah.' Natasha replied.

'N-Natasha? E-Ehren?' Martin stammered.

The 5 girls ignored Martin.

'And what now?' Edeline asked.

Natasha extended her right hand and the Heart popped out.

'Of course! By doubt, ask the magical jewelry!' Ilana muttered sarcastically.

Ehren and Edeline giggled softly while Georgi nudged Ilana. Natasha ignored the comment and focused her thoughts on the Heart.

'Take us to Will.' she said.

The Heart glowed and started to pull Natasha. Natasha grinned at the others.

'Let's go ladies.'

The others grinned as well. Martin and Alchemy tried to stop them, but because of their stunned state they just stammered some words. Ehren turned to them with a smile.

'Don't wait up for us.'

_At the castle a couple of minutes ago_

Will was sighing. The longer that she stayed in this cage the more that she was weakening. She felt cold and warm at the same time and was having one hell of a headache. She suddenly heard a lot of ruckus. Suddenly the doors of the throne room swung open and a man flew through the air, colliding with the guard and knocking the guard in question out. The man landed roughly on the floor. A blue sword landed next to him. Will felt a familiar aura around the man, but she couldn't remember where she had felt it before. The man groaned and Will heard steps coming their way. The man heard them as well and grabbed the blue sword and got up. Will gasped. She had finally gotten a better look on the man and sword. The sword belonged to the bloodline of Escanor, Elyon's ancestor and was called "Blue Destiny". And the man had long, shaggy brown hair with grey streaks and a beard. He wore a familiar white tunic with a brown vest without sleeves and brown trousers.

'Julian?' Will questioned.

Julian turned around, looking for the voice. He saw Will in the cage and ran to her.

'Will!' he said. 'What are you doing here?'

Will shrugged. 'Waiting until my magic is sucked dry, I guess. But what about you? What are you doing here and how did you get your hands on Blue Destiny?'

'Queen Elyon sensed that dark times were coming. She gave me the sword with some of her powers and ordered me to hide.' Julian explained. 'When I had learned that the Queen was enthralled by the former Air Guardian I waited until the moment that she would arrive on Meridian. I will end this.'

'So you will end my reign?'

Will and Julian looked at the source of the sound. Julian immediately went into a battle stance. In the entrance were 5 people standing. With Hay-Lin in the front. They slowly walked at them.

'And here I was, thinking you wanted to save Will and your lovely wife Nerissa.'

Julian looked slightly confused until he noticed the still unconscious form of Nerissa, being protected by magic. Will decided to let Hay-Lin thinks that she was nearly out of magic and made the shield disappear. Julian glanced at Hay-Lin before running to Nerissa. Hay-Lin kept looking.

'Nerissa?' Julian asked unsure as he took her in his arms.

Nerissa slightly stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She saw Julian and tears sprung in her eyes.

'Julian. Oh Julian.' she cried softly. 'I'm soooo sorry! I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry for letting the virus control me. I'm sorry for everything!'

Julian was at a loss. He softly caressed Nerissa's hair as she cried in his arms.

'It's okay.' he said softly and unsure.

'No, it isn't!' Nerissa cried. 'My son hates me! You hate me! And I'm worthless!'

Julian then kissed Nerissa on the lips, stopping her rant and stunning her. She then accepted his kiss and returned the gesture. It was quite a weird sight, seeing a 25-year old woman kiss with a man in his fifties. Hay-Lin signed Vertex and Vertex moved quickly at the pair.

'Julian! Nerissa! Watch out!' Will yelled weakly.

Julian and Nerissa stopped kissing and looked up in time. Vertex was near them and Julian pushed Nerissa out of the way. Vertex grabbed Julian by his throat.

'Julian!' Nerissa and Will yelled.

Hay-Lin laughed evilly.

'And who is going to save you now?'

'I will!' another voice said.

Everyone turned to the entrance and saw 7 people standing in it.

'Let my father and Will go!' Caleb growled as he pulled out his sword.

_**So Julian and Nerissa are reunited but now Julian is being choked! Will Vertex finish the job or listen to Caleb's command? And what is G.E.N.I.E. planning to do and how could they transform? And poor Will, apparently having her magic drained makes her ill as well. Let's hope for the best!**_

_**Don't forget to review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Hay-Lin looked quite surprised at the 7 new comers.

'And there is my rescue team.' Will said with a smirk.

'Angelo? Cassidy? Mandy? Joel? Andrew?' Hay-Lin questioned.

'Hell yeah!' Andrew said. 'And we're here to kick ass and drink tea!'

'And guess what?' Mandy added.

'We're all out of tea.' Cassidy ended coldly.

*_Hay-Lin! I sense that Angelo and Taranee are near you.*_ Yan-Lin warned.

*_No shit woman!*_ Hay-Lin replied annoyed. *_I can see them!*_

*_Then stop dawdling and kill them!*_ Yan-Lin ordered.

'Vertex, Cornelia, Irma, Elyon. Attack!' Hay-Lin ordered.

Vertex dropped Julian and she together with Cornelia, Irma and Elyon advanced on the new comers. The Warriors formed a circle and pointed their rings into the circle.

'Warriors Unite!'

Hay-Lin saw them transform and was silently fuming. After the transformation subsided, she glared at them.

'So you took the Heart of the world I exiled you to and powered yourselves with it?' she questioned. 'That won't happen again! Irma, you handle Taranee. Cornelia, you take Angelo. Vertex kill Caleb. and Elyon, play with the rest.'

'And what are you going to do?' Will yelled from her cage.

Hay-Lin snickered as she teletransported to the throne.

'I don't need to make my hands dirty, so I'll just watch.'

Not that anyone could attack her. Once Hay-Lin sat on the throne, her minions started to attack. Taranee and Irma started a fierce exchange between Water and Fire. Cornelia tried to strangle Angelo while he, coated in steel after touching Caleb's sword, cut himself loose. Julian and Nerissa aided Caleb in his fight against Vertex while Cassidy, Joel, Andrew and Mandy were pretty preoccupied with the all powerful Elyon. Hay-Lin was enjoying the show while Will was fearing for her friends lives.

_With Caleb, Julian and Nerissa._

Nerissa had taken the sword of the still knocked out guard and she, together with her husband and son, was attacking Vertex. Vertex blocked several blows and dodged rays of magic that Julian shot.

'You know, this is very awkward.' Caleb said as he and Nerissa attacked Vertex.

'I know, but believe me that it was her fault that all those things happened.' Nerissa said as she used some of her life force to empower her sword to block an attack for Caleb.

_With Angelo_

Angelo and Cornelia were fighting near Will's cage.

'Stop it Cornelia!' Angelo yelled as he cut some vines loose.

Cornelia replied with breaking the floor and sending some chunks at him. He dodged them with his super speed.

'I don't want to hurt you!' he said desperately.

'Angelo, it's no use!' Will said. 'We need Lillian and Chris to break Cornelia and Irma free.'

'And you know where they are?' Angelo asked while dodging more rocks.

'Sort of.' Will replied. 'Just knock her down for now.'

Angelo, who was still on the defense, glared at Will.

'You're one to talk! Can't you blast yourself out of that cage?' he replied.

'No. I feel terrible. Ever since I entered this cage my magic started to act funny. I suspect that my Quintessence powers have been suppressing my other powers. And now that this cage is draining my magic, I think that my Quintessence energy is trying to stay in me. Result, I get sick.'

Will knew that only Angelo could hear her. The fights were making such a noise that it was impossible to eavesdrop, even for Hay-Lin.

'That would explain why you look so feverish.' Angelo said as he shot a telekinetic blast at Cornelia.

'Sorry!' he yelled at her.

Hay-Lin was watching the fights. It seemed pretty obvious to her that it was pretty equal. She caressed her staff.

*Maybe I'll bring Eric here.* she thought. * Then I can have some fun as well.*

_With Taranee_

Water and Fire clashed again, creating a massive cloud of steam. Taranee was on her guard. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a jet of water came at her and she countered it with another blast of fire.

*This is getting us nowhere!* Taranee mentally screamed as she tried to overpower Irma's water jet. * We need to free Will… but how? Everyone is pretty preoccupied.*

Suddenly another blast of fire joined Taranee's and slowly the two beams were pushing Irma's water jet back. Taranee tracked the other fire blast back to its owner. She gasped. The owner of the other fire blast was none other than Ilana! She smiled at Taranee and turned her head to the entrance. Taranee followed her look and her jaw dropped. Four other girls came flying in. The four lined up in the air next to Ilana and overlooked the battlefield. All over the battlefield people started to look at the girls. One of the flying girls flew a little forward.

'Have no fear! The Guardians are here!' Ehren announced.

If it wasn't for Hay-Lin's enthralled minions attacking than you could have heard some crickets. Will face palmed and groaned while Cassidy and Nerissa followed her example. Angelo was so dumbfounded that he didn't notice that Cornelia was entangling his legs. Mandy, Joel and Andrew started laughing and Caleb stared stupidly at the five Guardians. Julian ignored the lame catchphrase and saved Nerissa and Caleb from an attack from Vertex. Ilana, Natasha, Edeline and Georgi were blushing furiously and glaring daggers at Ehren. Ehren seemed to get the hint.

'Okay. Okay!' she said. 'It's lame but I had to try something!'

The others shook their heads and sighed. Ehren crossed her arms in annoyance.

'Ehren, shut up and go help Caleb, that old guy and the woman.' Natasha ordered.

'I'm not old!' Julian yelled.

The girls snickered as Ehren flew off to help them.

'Georgi, help Ilana and Taranee.' Natasha said.

'Roger.' Georgi said.

'Edeline, you go and find a way to get Will out of that cage. I'll help Angelo.'

Edeline nodded and Natasha joined Angelo. While Natasha was issuing orders Angelo broke free from Cornelia's vines and looked at Will. Will sensed the question and answered.

'No, we never had a catchphrase. Irma tried to introduce one but decided to quit with it after I mysteriously forgot how to transform her during a Lurden attack.' she said, making Angelo smile and giving Natasha an idea.

Caleb got hit by a blast from Vertex and was flung against Will's cage. Will, even though she felt ill, crawled to him and grabbed his shoulders. Caleb turned around and saw Will's pale face.

'Will!' he said concerned. 'You look awful!'

Will glared weakly at him.

'Gee thanks.' she said. 'But why did you bring G.E.N.I.E.?'

'We didn't!' Caleb defended. 'I didn't even know that they could transform. How can they anyway?'

Will thought over it while watching Natasha and Angelo fight Cornelia. She noticed that every blast Natasha fired was stronger than her last one, even if it was just a little bit. Suddenly she knew how.

'It's because of me!' she said. 'This cage is draining my Quintessence magic and the Heart is reabsorbing it! My Auramere is almost completely reabsorbed by the Heart.'

'So they are powered by just 1 Auramere?' Caleb asked.

'Pretty much.' Will replied.

Hay-Lin was watching the fights. She couldn't believe her eyes. There were Guardians. And they were fighting her! And to make it worse, the rebels were winning. A smirk crept on her face. She could easily see that these Guardians were inexperienced and weaker that that they should be.

*It's time to give them the surprise of their lives.* she thought as she caressed the Heart of Zamballa. *The last surprise they'll ever have!*

She got up from her throne.

'Enough!' she boomed.

A sudden wind made everyone stop their attacks. The rebels and Guardians looked at Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin noticed the hidden fear and anger of the Guardians. She smiled even more.

'So you are the new Guardians?' she sneered.

'Yeah!' Natasha said. 'And we're here to save Will!'

Hay-Lin laughed coldly, making everyone shiver.

'That's very noble of you.' she said. 'You remind me of Will. And I hate it.'

She then locked eyes with Natasha, making her shiver.

'But…' she said. 'Who is going to save you from her?'

Everyone, including Taranee and Will, looked at her as if she'd gone crazy.

'I think you finally blew a fuse, Hay-Lin.' Taranee said. 'What makes you think that Will will join you again?'

'Kukukukuku. Not only Will will join me.' Hay-Lin said with evil pleasure while caressing the Heart of Zamballa. 'But you as well.'

'Will's eyes widened when she saw what Hay-Lin was planning.

'Taranee, get out of here!' Will yelled.

Taranee looked confused at Will.

'Too late.' Hay-Lin said.

She raised the Heart of Zamballa.

'Guardians Unite!'

A bright light appeared and everyone was looking in shock how Hay-Lin, Irma, Cornelia, Taranee and Will got enveloped by light. Each of them was enveloped by a ball of light. Irma in a dark blue one, Taranee in a red one, Cornelia in a dark yellow one, Hay-Lin in a dark grey one and Will in a dark pink one.

'Why am I having a bad feeling about this?' Angelo questioned.

'Stay on target!' Nerissa warned.

The light subsided and everyone saw W.I.T.C.H. in their Guardian forms. Only their outfits had changed. What once was pink was now red. What once was turquoise was now black and what once was green had become orange. Will was now freed of her cage and all except Hay-Lin had a zombie-like look.

'Ooooh bugger.' Natasha said, feeling her fear increase.

'Stay on target!' Nerissa warned again.

'Ah snap! I think we're royally screwed!' Angelo said.

'Stay on freaking target!' Nerissa yelled angrily.

'How are we supposed to win from 5 ex-Guardians who are fueled by a Heart and an Auramere?' Caleb yelled in frustration.

Nerissa couldn't answer that as she looked fearfully at the W.I.T.C.H.

'Now I'm going to show you what it means to be a Guardian.' Hay-Lin said with hidden pleasure.

_**And that was chapter 5! Hay-Lin has done it! Turning Will and Taranee into mindless puppets by using their Aurameres… Can they snap out of this or are our heroes doomed? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_

_**And don't forget to review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**WOOOHOO! Next chapter! I bet you all have been waiting for it! You must have hated me for stopping at that point! Well I'm not going to explain much in this chapter either. And why not? Because I like to tease you people. Enjoy!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

'Great! And what now?' Cassidy said as she looked a little frightful at W.I.T.C.H.

Irma shot a powerful blast at her. Cassidy managed to dodge it, but just barely. The blast went right through the wall, creating a round hole in it with the size of a car. Everyone gulped. It was pretty obvious to them that W.I.T.C.H. was on a complete different power level than them.

'I think we better retreat. This is a lost cause.' Julian said.

He immediately got answered by a lot of glares.

'What?' he said. 'You can see that this would be a suicide if we continue!'

'Sir, you can go.' Georgi said.

'But we're staying.' Natasha said with sheer determination.

Julian looked around. He saw that everyone was glaring at Hay-Lin and they all had a look of determination plastered on their faces. He noticed Caleb smiling reassuringly at him.

'We can save them, dad.' he said.

'And I'm not planning on leaving Will behind again!' Angelo added as he transformed his other hand into a shield.

Julian noticed Nerissa looking at him with a sad expression.

'I've done a lot of injustice and it's time to make up for it.' she said. 'Do you want to help me?'

Julian looked again at the rebels. He saw their look of determination. He could see that they were scared, maybe even terrified. But they wanted to save Will and Taranee from their enthrallment and, with some luck, Irma, Cornelia and Elyon as well. Their looks reminded him of the rebels he used to lead against Phobos. The determination was the same as then. He couldn't do much for the rebellion during the last time but now he could help. He grabbed Blue Destiny a little tighter.

'Alright!' he said. 'Let's do this!'

Hay-Lin glared at them.

'So you still want to defy me?' she asked coldly.

Mandy shot some feathers at her.

'Does this answer your question?' she replied.

She then continued with shooting feathers. Everyone of W.I.T.C.H. created a shield of their own.

'I see.' Hay-Lin said. 'Then this will be your last battle! Taranee!'

Taranee dispelled her shield and shot a gigantic wave of fire at Mandy. The feathers that were flying at them got burned in an instant and Mandy got hit by the wave. Her wings were badly damaged by the fire. Andrew used his powers and grew 10 feet to catch her. He then put her down gently and Angelo started to heal her. Joel ran at W.I.T.C.H. He created an energy board and surfed at them. He came close when Will raised her hand. Suddenly his board stopped obeying him and he was flying aimlessly through the room. He shot a couple of times past Will and he could have sworn that she was smirking. He jumped of his board and shot several energy blasts. Will simply stopped them halfway and sent them back. Joel absorbed the blasts again but stopped attacking. He had the feeling that it would be pretty useless. He helped Angelo in the healing of Mandy instead. G.E.N.I.E. was attacking as well, but that resulted in them running away from a stronger attack. Caleb, Andrew, Nerissa and Julian ran at W.I.T.C.H. to attack them as well but an earthquake stopped them. Joel and Angelo had finished healing Mandy and Angelo was trying to think of a plan. Hay-Lin saw him thinking.

'You see that it is useless.' she said. 'Surrender now and I'll only enthrall you.'

'Never!' Cassidy yelled.

Hay-Lin used her own magic and slammed Cassidy into a wall with a gust of wind. Joel caught her and started healing her. Cassidy groaned.

'And to think that they went through the same when I was enthralled by Nissa.' she groaned.

Hay-Lin started to laugh at their misery. It was a cold and evil laugh. Suddenly a second voice started laughing as well. A third voice quickly joined in. Both voices were laughing as cold and evil as Hay-Lin, if not scarier. Hay-Lin stopped laughing as she, as well as the rebels, looked at two of her Guardians. Will and Taranee were laughing evilly while slowly turning around to face Hay-Lin.

'What's this?' Hay-Lin questioned confused.

'Oh we were just imitating you.' Taranee said with a smirk.

'So that you know how annoying that is.' Will added.

Hay-Lin was fuming.

'How's this possible?' she questioned. 'I infected your Aurameres! You should be under my control!'

Taranee and Will looked at each other. An evil smirk spread upon their faces.

'Should we tell her?' Taranee asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Will shrugged. 'Why not? She is bound to find out anyway.'

Hay-Lin watched in shock at the two glamour rings that enveloped Will and Taranee. Once they were deglamoured Hay-Lin saw that their Guardian outfits had their old colors again. And she noticed two new things. She noticed that Taranee was wearing a bracelet with a blue gem embedded in it. Angelo noticed this as well and absently felt his own wrist. He noticed that his bracelet was missing.

*She wears my bracelet!* he thought shocked. * But how? When?*

Hay-Lin was staring speechless at Will. Or better said, at Will's forehead. Will saw her looking and smiled at her.

'Quit looking at me as if I've got a lightning scar on my head.' she said.

'H-How?' she stammered.

'Let's say it was fated.' Will replied.

Both Taranee and Will looked at each other and started laughing evilly again. The rebels were looking confused and thoroughly scared. If they had to choose between Hay-Lin or Will and Taranee with how they were now acting, they would have chosen for Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin was trying to grasp what was happening. Taranee and Will stopped their laughing and looked at Hay-Lin.

'What's it gonna be Hay-Hay?' Will asked.

Hay-Lin smirked at Will.

'It seems that you've forgotten who transformed you. I simply call your transformations back.'

'Ah ah aah.' Will said teasingly as she waved her finger.

'If you do that you'll cancel all transformations as well.' Taranee said with a smirk of her own.

'That's a lie!' Hay-Lin exclaimed. 'Will must have done it a dozen of times!'

'You know she isn't lying.' Will said sharply. 'But you're right. I did it a lot. But that's because the Aurameres are linked to the Heart of Kandrakar and not Zamballa. If you had the Heart of Kandrakar then your little plan would have worked.'

Hay-Lin glared at Will. How could it be that Will was always one step ahead?

'It doesn't matter.' she scowled. 'I still have Cornelia and Irma as Guardians and I've got Elyon and Vertex as support. You can't stop me.'

'I can't?' Will asked skeptically to Taranee.

Taranee looked thoughtful at Will.

'No, I don't think so. We are horribly outnumbered.' she said sarcastically.

Hay-Lin growled.

'I've had enough of you!' she said coldly. 'Attack!'

Cornelia, Irma, Vertex and Elyon all raised their hands. Will glanced at Taranee and saw her nod.

'Natasha, now!' Will yelled.

Everyone looked confused at Natasha and Will while Natasha released the Heart of Kandrakar. Taranee created a massive fire shield and the remaining Guardians aided her. Will grabbed the Heart of Kandrakar and a brilliant white light started to shine, blinding everyone. Once the light subsided they saw that W.I.T.C.H. had returned to normal. Taranee and the Guardians (minus Natasha) were still busy keeping the shield up and trying to fend off the magic attacks while Hay-Lin was looking confused at her former leader.

'What did you do?' she questioned.

Will smiled. She was panting slightly. It seemed that the fever, that had disappeared when she was transformed, had returned.

'If you transform Guardians with a Heart that isn't linked to the Aurameres, the transformation will be undone if one of the Aurameres disappears. Or in this case returns to its original Heart.' she said.

'You gave your powers to those brats?' Hay-Lin questioned. 'Just to stop me?'

'They may be brats.' Cassidy said. 'But these brats are the hope of dozens of people.'

Taranee was visibly weakening and the other Guardians were trying harder to keep the shield up. The attacks stopped and they lowered the shield. The Warriors, who had found their hope again, engaged battle with Hay-Lin's minions. Caleb, Nerissa, Edeline and Julian engaged another fight with Vertex. Angelo went for another round against Cornelia, but before he went he gave Will a glare.

'You know you really got me freaked out with the whole enthrallment thing!' he said.

Will smiled at him. 'I just felt like having some fun!' she replied.

Angelo growled back in response.

Taranee and Irma started again with an exchange of blows with help from Ilana and Georgi and Cassidy, Ehren, Joel, Andrew and Mandy resumed their fight with Elyon. Natasha stayed with Will and kept an eye on her. Will was looking terribly ill from the moment she had touched the Heart and Natasha was worrying big time. Though Will was doing a great job hiding it. Hay-Lin nor Will and Natasha joined the fray. Hay-Lin was too busy controlling all her minions, since she was still new with the whole enthrallment thing. Will and Natasha stayed out of the fight because Will didn't attack and Natasha followed her example. Will then noticed that Vertex was planning to kill Caleb with a blast of magic. She let go of Natasha and ran with all her might at Vertex. She tackled her and fell on the ground. Her illness was starting to take its toll on her. Julian saw what Will had done and smiled. He helped her up while Caleb and Nerissa engaged another fight with Vertex.

'Thanks Will!' Caleb yelled over his shoulder.

Will couldn't help but blush a little. Natasha came running at her and again took a hold of her while Julian looked at Will with a sly smile.

'It seems that you fancy my son.' he said softly.

Natasha looked at Will, who was blushing. Natasha wasn't sure if it was because of her embarrassment or her fever.

'Well, I kinda crushed on him for at least 5 years.' Will admitted. 'But that doesn't matter now. There is no way that I ever could be with him.'

Julian took some strands out of Will's face and tucked them behind her face.

'You were always my favorite.' he said softly. 'And I silently hoped that Caleb would choose you. And believe me that he does.'

Will looked down at her feet while smiling a little. Julian raffled her hair.

'You're a smart girl.' he said. 'You'll figure something out.'

At that moment a blast of magic was coming their way. Will was quick to block but she was greatly draining herself. Julian took off to help his son and wife as well as Edeline. Hay-Lin noticed Will's sudden weakness as well and went for the kill.

'You don't sound so triumphant anymore.' she sneered at Will.

Natasha took a look at Hay-Lin and started to shiver. She had always thought that Hay-Lin was scary but to see her in person and from up close made her truly scared. Will squeezed her gently before faking a smile at Hay-Lin.

'You know, as well as I do, that you are starting to lose.' she said calmly. 'It would be better if you gave up now.'

Hay-Lin stared at Will for a moment. A smirk spread over her face.

'You know what I always hated about Kandrakar?' she said. 'The Oracle. With all his mysterious talking and his calm voice. If he's supposed to be so powerful then why did he need Guardians? Hmmm? Why could I slaughter him? Care to tell me that?'

'Because he's an ass and that the first Oracle thought of these rules.' Will replied, sounding bored.

'Then I have one question left.' Hay-Lin said.

'Shoot.' Will replied with a grin.

Hay-Lin smirked. 'I will do that later on. But now. How did you sense the new Guardians? Grandma couldn't sense them at all.'

'Because I'm fucking awesome.' Will replied. 'You don't really think that I'm going to inform you, now do you?'

Hay-Lin growled a little. She moved her staff to point at Will and she noticed that Natasha went to stand between her and Will. She also noticed that Natasha was shivering.

'What's this? A sudden display of courage you don't have?' Hay-Lin sneered.

'I won't let you kill Will.' Natasha stated, even though her voice was trembling with fear.

'And why is that?' Hay-Lin said with evil pleasure.

'Because she saved me!' Natasha replied.

Hay-Lin suddenly got blasted with an Air and Fire attack.

'She saved us as well!' Ilana and Georgi said at the same time.

Water and Earth were shot at her as well, though this time she was protected by a shield. She turned around to see Ehren and Edeline standing opposite of Ilana and Georgi.

'And thanks to her, Taranee and Caleb have hope again.' Edeline said.

'And we won't let you take that away!' Ehren concluded.

'And I agree fully with that!'

Hay-Lin turned once again to see Angelo and the rest of the Warriors standing next to Will. Angelo had taken Will in his arms so to give Natasha the space to move as well. Caleb, Julian, Taranee and Nerissa were standing behind Ilana and Georgi. Hay-Lin saw that all her minions lay on the ground. Defeated. Irma and Cornelia were restrained by ice. Vertex was pinned down by two swords. And Elyon lay unconscious on the floor. Hay-Lin turned at Will and she saw her smirking in Angelo's arms.

'I think you've lost this round, my friend.' she said.

Hay-Lin growled at Will's choice of words. She saw it herself that this battle was lost. She saw from the corner of her eyes that Vertex had managed to free herself with her magic. She had taken the two swords and was silently advancing on Caleb. Hay-Lin smirked big time.

'I may have lost this round.' she said. 'But you've lost a warrior.'

Will sensed the danger and tried to turn around to look over Angelo's shoulders. Nerissa turned around as well and saw that Vertex was now running at Caleb, trying to pierce him with the swords. She shrieked and jumped in front of him, hoping to catch the blow for him. Everyone looked in shock at how Vertex pierced the body. Nerissa had closed her eyes as she awaited the blow. When she heard the slicing sound she opened them. To her great shock someone else had taken the blow. And that someone had used his sword to pierce Vertex as well.

'Julian?' Nerissa said. It was barely a whisper but everyone could hear it.

Julian didn't respond. He pushed the sword deeper into Vertex and released the magic of the sword. Blue Destiny shined and Vertex seemed to explode. The two swords she had used to pierce Julian with were still in his body. He coughed up some blood as he started to fall forwards.

'Julian/Dad!' Nerissa and Caleb cried.

Nerissa caught him and held him close. Her eyes were wet from the tears that were streaming across her face. Even Caleb was having some tears. Julian smiled at them.

'Well that was irritatingly heroic.' Hay-Lin said.

Everyone looked at her and they saw that Hay-Lin had taken advantage of their distraction. She had freed Irma and Cornelia and she'd revived Elyon as well. They were standing behind her and weren't looking tired. The rebels on the other hand were exhausted and they couldn't fight another round.

'Maybe I haven't lost this round after all.' Hay-Lin said with a smirk. 'Julian is dying, meaning that no-one can use the Blue Destiny except for Elyon.'

Caleb was angered by Hay-Lin. And that was an understatement. He slowly picked the Blue Destiny from the floor. The sword started to shine brightly but the light dimmed immediately after. Hay-Lin saw this and couldn't believe her eyes. Caleb started to rush at Hay-Lin when Taranee had decided it was time to split. There was no chance in winning and she didn't want to lose Caleb as well. She created a smokescreen. Caleb was running aimlessly through the smoke, still letting out a battle cry. Hay-Lin knew that they'd teletransported the moment that Caleb's voice had disappeared.

_At the Rebel base_

Caleb was still running until he noticed that he wasn´t in the palace anymore. He dropped the sword and yelled again. Only this time it was out of pain and frustration. Nerissa was still holding Julian, trying to keep him in the living world. Angelo placed Will next to Nerissa before he joined Mandy and Joel with trying to heal Julian´s wounds. They pulled the swords out of him and started healing him. They felt it was in vein but they had to try. Julian slowly pushed them away.

'Let us help you Julian.' Joel said.

'We can save you man.' Angelo said softly.

'I…don't…want you…to use your…energy…on an old man like me.' Julian said slowly.

He gurgled loudly before he started to pant as well. Nerissa was still holding him in her arms and her tears were shamelessly falling from her eyes. The young Guardians came to him as well. Natasha laid her hand upon his.

'You said it yourself. You're not old.' she said with tears in her eyes.

Julian laughed harshly before coughing some more blood. Nerissa looked at Will and looked at her with pleading eyes.

'Will. Please… I know I've done wrong but please…save him.' she pleaded.

Will saw Nerissa's pain and slowly laid her hands on Julian's wounds. She coughed badly and shivered from the fever that she had. She knew that returning her Quintessence power to the Heart would make her ill. She knew that her Oracle powers tried to restore the balance within her body but she had never thought that she would have been this weak. She wanted to start concentrating on her powers when she felt Julian's hand. She looked at the older man.

'Please..Will don't.' he said with difficulty. 'You are in no condition…to heal…this old body.'

Will started to cry as well but she took her hands off him. She respected his wishes. Angelo kneeled next to Will and Will turned to him, crying in his shoulder. Angelo clumsily rubbed her hair, trying to make her settle down. He looked at the old warrior who was slowly dying.

'Young man…' Julian said with difficulty as he looked at Angelo. 'Could you… please fetch my son for me?'

Angelo nodded and Will slowly let go off him. He went to get Caleb. Caleb was walking somewhere in the base. He couldn't go to his father. He just couldn't! He was the one supposed to die, not his father! He angrily kicked the floor. By now the whole base knew that Julian was dying and the rebels were all standing around the group that brought him. Caleb looked at them. He couldn't go there, he couldn't show his tears. That was nothing for him. He couldn't show his weakness in front of the rebels, in front of his father or mother. He couldn't show his weakness to no one. Especially not her. He noticed a man coming from the crowd. It was Angelo.

'Caleb!' he said.

Caleb saw him coming and turned away, walking away from the crowd and his father. Angelo used his super speed and was in no time standing in front of Caleb, looking him harshly in the eyes.

'Caleb.' he said. 'Your father wishes you to see him.'

Caleb looked away from Angelo.

'I don't want to.' he said roughly.

The next thing he knew was a fist punching him in the gut. The air got knocked out of him and he looked up. Angelo was still looking coldly at him before he pushed Caleb back up.

'It's no time to act all tough!' he said. 'Your father is dying and he wants to see you!'

'Go away Angelo.' Caleb said roughly. 'You don't know how I feel.'

This earned him another hit in his abdomen. He looked again at Angelo, wanting to repay him but then saw tears rolling across Angelo's face as well.

'I don't know how you feel?' he questioned coldly. 'I fucking DO know how you feel! I've seen my parents die when I was 11 and before I joined the rebellion I witnessed how my uncle and grandparents got murdered! They cared for me the rest of my life! And you think I don't know how you feel? Stop being such a baby!'

Caleb was taken aback by Angelo's sudden change in attitude. He realized that he was being stupid. His father, the only one who cared for him, was dying and he was too afraid to see it. Too scared to witness it. He felt ashamed of himself. He turned around without saying one thing to Angelo and went to his father. The crowd parted for him. He sat down next to his father on the opposite side of Nerissa and Will.

'My son..' Julian said. 'I…know…you will…lead this war…to a good end…as well.'

Caleb felt some tears flow from his eyes but didn't care. He took his father's hand. Nerissa was still holding Julian's other hand. He wanted to ask his father a question but Nerissa had beaten him to it.

'Why Julian?' she asked with a lump in her throat. 'Why?'

'Because… I could not… have lived…. with myself if I had… seen the two things that… are most important to me… in this… universe… die.' he said with a loving tone. 'Nerissa…even when…you were…evil… I never…gave up…hope…nor…love.'

Nerissa cried silently and kissed him on his mouth. The kiss was a short one but Julian still seemed to enjoy it. He then turned to his son.

'Caleb…I hope..you'll find…peace with…your mother…' he spoke softly.

'I will father.' Caleb said with tears in his eyes.

'There…is…more.' Julian said. 'I…also want you…to find peace…with yourself…'

Julian let go of Nerissa's hand and managed to grab Will's. Will was too stunned to stop him as Julian used his last power to bring Will's and Caleb's hands together.

'I know… that she…will help you with…that task…' he said softly before coughing up some more blood.

Caleb looked at Will and she saw the pain in his eyes. She wanted to help him but she couldn't. Instead she looked at Julian.

'Julian I…' she said but Julian stopped her.

He placed his hand on her cheek.

'You were always…my favorite.' he said.

His hand fell on the ground and his eyes were closed. If it weren't for the blood stains and rips in his blouse, you would have thought that he was sleeping. Nerissa and Will hugged each other as they cried softly. Caleb felt his tears roll over his cheeks. He then noticed that someone tapped his shoulder. He looked up and saw Angelo looking at him with sorrow written all over his face. He helped Caleb up and Caleb cried in his shoulder while Angelo was patting his back. Taranee was crying in Andrew's chest, Cassidy in Joel's and Mandy in Andrew's. G.E.N.I.E. cried as well. That day the whole rebellion mourned.

_At the castle._

Hay-Lin was silently cursing her luck. She couldn't believe that Will had Oracle powers. Or that Caleb was capable of handling the Blue Destiny as well. The only thing she could do now was searching for a more powerful ally. She turned to Elyon, who was looking straight forward.

'Elyon look at me,' she ordered.

Elyon turned her zombie gaze at Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin bitchslapped her. And hard. Hay-Lin's hand print was left on Elyon's cheek and even though Elyon couldn't react because of Hay-Lin's enthrallment it still gave Hay-Lin some satisfaction.

'You knew that I would try to kill Julian, didn't you?' she questioned softly.

Elyon didn't respond but Hay-Lin didn't care.

'You made sure that everyone of Julian's family could use the sword.' Hay-Lin said softly.

She then again slapped Elyon across her face. This time tears sprung into Elyon's eyes, but Hay-Lin knew that it was a natural reaction.

'It doesn't matter.' Hay-Lin said as she turned around. 'I know where to go next.'

A shadow started to move behind her. Hay-Lin turned around and saw some of Vertex' body parts move. It seemed that only one arm and leg survived the blast of Blue Destiny. Both limbs started to move and shadows came from them. Suddenly there were two Vertex'. Hay-Lin smiled.

'Took you long enough.' she said.

Both the Vertex' bowed down for Hay-lin. Hay-Lin smiled before she made a fold with the Heart of Zamballa but before she stepped through it she gave the Tonga Tooth to Elyon.

'Bring this back to Headquarters and then return here.' Hay-Lin ordered.

Elyon bowed and Hay-Lin walked to the fold.

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><p><em><strong>And that was chapter 6! Poor Julian, he only wanted to help and he got killed in the end. And now our heroes have to handle with more than 1 Vertex! And how did Natasha and the other Guardians know what to do? And how did Taranee get Angelo's bracelet? Maybe you'll find out in the next chapter, maybe you won't.<strong>_

_**Review please!**_

_**PS. There is a new poll regarding my "L is for Loser REWRITTEN" series. Please vote if you're following it.**_


	7. Chapter 7 The funeral

**Chapter 7 The funeral**

Preparations were made for Julian's funeral. Alchemy had taken the job of watching over Will, even though that the latter was protesting against it and claiming that she was perfectly well. Saying this she often wobbled on her feet or was her face almost as red as her hair due to her fever. Caleb sought a place to bury his father. He chose a place near Mackenzie falls, a place where he used to fish with his father, and there he started digging together with Edeline and Angelo. Aketon, with the help of Taranee, Cassidy and Nigel, crafted a beautiful coffin, decorated with swords, shields and dragons. Nerissa was mostly mourning but showed her strength of heart by washing Julian one last time and clothing him in the finest garments she could find. He looked like someone of royalty. When the preparations were made the rebels moved Julian's body into the coffin. They carried it upstairs and towards Mackenzie falls, hoping that no Lurdens lurked nearby. The coffin was placed above the hole and kept floating thanks to Angelo's telekinesis. Then all the rebels were called for the ceremony. Caleb and Nerissa were sitting next to each other in the front. Nerissa was dressed in a black battledress. Even though it was a funeral they could never let their guard fall. Caleb wore a black leather armor with black trousers. Blue Destiny hang at his side. G.E.N.I.E. were also wearing black battledresses. Nigel, Joel, Cassidy, Aketon, Alchemy, Martin Mandy and Andrew sat in the front row as well, either wearing the same black armor or a black battledress. Will was there as well. She had to actually threaten to add some more people to the funeral and to shake the Infinite City before the others agreed on taking her with them. She was dressed in a Chinese black dress which was cut open on the left and right. It had no sleeves and a Chinese golden dragon was painted on it. Taranee was standing next to her, keeping her conscious and standing. Will would have done the speech herself but she was too weak to speak, therefore she told Taranee telepathically what should be said and Taranee would say it to the people gathered. Once everyone was seated Taranee stepped forward to speak.

'Dearly beloved.' Taranee spoke. 'We are here today to honor a great man. He was loyal, a good friend, a loving father and husband.'

Nerissa broke again into new sobs while Caleb put one arm around her, comforting her a bit.

'Let's all hold a minute silence to honor this man. To think about the things he has done.' Taranee said as she closed her eyes and bowed her head down.

The other rebels followed her example and everything became quiet. It even seemed that Meridian itself was being quiet. No sound was heard except for the falling of the water of the waterfalls. Because of the silence everyone could hear that a pair of boots were coming their way. Many people opened their eyes to see who dared to interrupt the ceremony of one of the greatest heroes of Meridian and many people gasped. Standing at the end of the crowd was Raythor. Taranee herself couldn't find any words to say when she heard Will's voice in her head. She glanced at Will and saw that she still had her eyes closed.

'Raythor, please take a seat next to Will.' she said.

Raythor, who was surprised that the rebels would allow him to stay, walked slowly to his place. Many rebels bowed their head slightly for him, as a sign of respect. Everyone of the rebellion had heard of Raythor. He had sworn loyalty to Queen Elyon and even though the Queen was enthralled, she never did something to dishonor his loyalty. The rebels all had high respect for Raythor's feeling of honor and loyalty. They also knew that Julian was an old friend of Raythor, a friend and a battle comrade.

'I had the pleasure to get to know Julian during my Guardian days.' Taranee continued as if nothing had happened. 'We saved him back then from the Underwater Mines. He often teased his son with the ladies or taught us about the nature of Meridian. He was always there if we needed advice here on Meridian and he was not too shallow to give it to us. He was a man who I respected with all my heart and I hope that the Father will give him a spot next to him in heaven.'

With that Taranee went to sit on her spot on the other side of Will. Caleb then got up.

'Yeah…This old man was mostly there when I needed him. We used to go fishing here. We often caught some big ones which we would take home and eat. He taught me all he knew about sword fighting, battle tactics and how to survive. Too bad he never taught me how to behave around women.'

This got a small laugh from the people. Caleb wasn't good at speeches, everyone knew that. And this speech was maybe the most difficult for him.

'When I found out that he was alive, the Guardians helped me to save him. I could remember the look on his face. I could tell that he was proud of me. I regret it that I couldn't spend more time with him but the whole problem with the evil Nerissa (Nerissa looked at her feet in shame), the escape of Phobos and now the mad former Air Guardian Hay-Lin I couldn't fit him in. I was either fighting evil with the Guardians or trying to find myself a love life. But every time I asked him if he wanted to spend some time with me he laughed goodheartedly and patted my shoulder. He would then say: "My son, I've seen you growing up and you've become a fine man. I still have to get my own life back on the road but you know how you could help me? Get married and get some kids. I've always wanted to be a grandfather."

I then laughed with him, knowing that he was kidding. But now I regret it not having him standing next to me. Dad, you were the man I looked up to and now I hope that you can still watch over me up there.'

Caleb then cleared his throat and went to sit down. Nerissa got up as well, but she was quivering. She at least would have thought that some of the rebels would attack her or boo her but nothing happened. She cleared her throat and hid her metal hand.

'By the time I got to know Julian, I was already dishonored as a Guardian.' Nerissa started. 'By that time, the creature now known as Vertex, had already taken me over. But when I saw Julian, I managed to gain my control back. I don't know if Vertex was stopped by the feeling of love or that she was weakened because of the spells she needed to use to keep our identity as the Mage but I managed to be myself. I fell in love with him and nine months later we got a son, Caleb. By then Vertex was starting to gain control again and I had to leave Julian and Caleb. Years later, after Phobos' downfall, I saw Caleb and Julian again. Caleb often visited me as the Mage and I was proud of what he had become. Julian really rubbed off on him. And now just three days ago, when I was freed of Vertex after being controlled by her for nearly 50 years, I could fight with Julian. I was hoping that he had forgiven me. I was hoping that I could live with him again. But that dream was crushed again by none other than Vertex herself.'

A small electric current ran over Nerissa's left hand as she clenched it.

'Now I can only hope that the Father will give him the love I failed to give. Julian, I love you and you will never disappear from my heart.'

She went back to her seat where Caleb took her in his arms and she cried in his chest. It seemed that no-one else wanted to get up. They either didn't know Julian enough to say something or couldn't do it because they were scared that they couldn't stand up straight. Then one man got up. Raythor went to stand in front of the crowd with his back to Julian's coffin.

He cleared his throat.

'He was an interesting man.' he started. 'He and I had known each other since we were kids. We always dreamt of joining the Royal army and fighting for the Queen. We often practiced with wooden swords until our fathers came to get us for the work on the farm. Yeah, we were close. He also took me on a lot of his crazy adventures. I think there are no kids on Meridian who ever did such a dangerous stuff on their own as we did. We poked Lurdens for fun, we often stole something from the bakery and even managed to nick a carriage full of hay and joy ride with it. Aye, those were the times. Then when we were old enough, we joined the Royal army. We pledged our allegiance to the throne and Queen Weira. We fought hard against Lurdens or thugs and we both climbed in status. But then Phobos came. He took the throne and Julian and I took different paths. He joined the rebellion, telling me that he had sworn loyalty to the crown and that he would fight for the unknown Princess, while I stayed loyal to Prince Phobos who was part of the Royal family. We both respected the others choices and promised each other one thing. That if we would die, we would die together.'

Raythor turned to the coffin with a wry smile on his face.

'But this bastard managed to break the promise. I told him to wait until we would fight each other, but then again. He died protecting what's truly important. He protected his heart and the future. And for that, I'll take my helmet off.'

Raythor bowed for Julian's coffin and took his helmet off. He then put the helmet back on and unsheathed his sword. He gave one soldier's salute before turning around and going back to his seat.

No-one moved a muscle. They all stared at Julian's coffin. Caleb nodded at Angelo and Angelo started to lower the coffin slowly into the hole. Nerissa started to cry again while Caleb held her in his arms. Cassidy cried in Joel's chest, Mandy in Andrew's and Alchemy in Martin's. Natasha and Georgi were hugging each other while the tears were falling freely. Ilana and Edeline hugged each other as well while Ehren cried in Angelo's chest. Taranee cried in Nigel's shoulder. And Will cried softly in Raythor's, who petted her hair softly. The whole rebellion mourned at the sight of Julian's coffin being lowered into the ground. Caleb got up and together with Aketon he filled the hole with earth. Once the hole was filled Edeline created a beautiful bed of flowers on top of it. Raythor laid his own sword in the middle of the flowerbed and Nerissa used the bits of her powers to carve a tombstone. It said:

"Here lies Julian Silvermane. A loving father, husband and friend. He fought for a free Meridian. R.I.P"

Everyone walked by one more time to pay their respects to Julian and to his family. Raythor left as one of the first, seeing that he couldn't be missed too long at the castle. Will and Taranee ended the line. Mostly because the telepathic talking had taken a lot from Will's power and she was too weak to move until the end of the funeral. She along with Taranee went to Caleb and Nerissa.

'Thanks for saying all that stuff, Taranee.' Nerissa said. 'It was beautiful.'

Taranee smiled sadly and wanted to say that it weren't her words but Will spoke first.

'Yes, they were indeed fitting words. I'm sorry that he died.' she said with a sorrowful look in her eyes.

Caleb and Nerissa saw that Will's face was completely calm but they saw the lone tear that had rolled over her cheek. They thanked her and Taranee and they all slowly headed back to the base. Before Caleb entered the Infinite City he looked one more time at the sky.

'God, please watch over my father and let him lay in peace.' he prayed softly. 'And dad, don't worry. I'll find a way to bring peace. To both Meridian and myself.'

With that he walked back to the base.

_**[A/N] I know. Short chapter. But I thought Julian deserved a chapter of his own. He was one heck of a guy and I'll miss him. Besides, I had the choice to either scratch the funeral or to place it with another part that I thought didn't fit with the funeral. But no worries! I'm continuing with the next chapter as we speak. Also yeah, this chapter has a title but that's all in honor of Julian.**_

_**So people, you know it! Review!**_

_**And till next time!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**[A/N] Thank you Lexvan for writing the side story "The Bonds of Friendship" I suggest that everyone reads it since I'm going to use some things out of it. Also thanks for giving me an idea for this chapter!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

It had been two weeks since Julian's funeral. The people started to get over the gloomy feeling that had been hanging around for the past weeks and were again completely working on how to feed the rebellion, train or spoil new plans of Hay-Lin. Unfortunately nobody knew where Hay-Lin was or what she was doing. G.E.N.I.E. had been training in the past two weeks and were improving. Taranee taught Ilana how to use her fire in tricky situations, like when fighting against an opponent who can use water. Ehren was finally getting the hang of creating ice, but was still saying that it was way easier for her to combine her powers with Georgi. Georgi was the team's best flyer, seeing that she had to practice on her own with no-one to teach her. She once tried a tornado but the results were disastrous. So for now, she was practicing her air slashes and air balls. Edeline was practicing on her own as well when Angelo wasn't helping her with telekinesis. And Natasha got lessons from Nerissa considering her powers. Though Natasha still favored Will above the others, she was a patient student at times while at others she got really sulky and refused to do anything else. Nerissa taught Natasha how to animate objects, which often ended with Nerissa using her life force to stop the flying weapons that were rampaging through the base.

But now our story starts with someone else. Martin was walking through the base, searching for someone. Soon Alchemy joined him.

'Have you found them already?' she asked him concerned.

'No.' Martin said a little annoyed. 'Why is it that they manage to disappear every time that we want to teach them something? It almost looks like they don't like school.'

He said it with so much disbelieve that Alchemy rolled her eyes.

'You know honey, not everyone likes school.' she said.

Martin looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

'School no fun?' he said. 'Who doesn't like to learn? Who doesn't love the complicated problems of math? The history changing debates?'

Alchemy rolled her eyes again but before she could help him out of his dream world a voice called out.

'Hey guys!'

Martin and Alchemy turned around to see Caleb and Taranee walk towards them.

'What are you doing?' Caleb asked. 'Aren't you supposed to teach the kids at this time?'

'Yeah we would,' Martin said.

'If we could find the kids that is.' Alchemy finished.

'You mean you don't know where they are?' Taranee said in disbelieve.

'That's exactly what we're saying. Maybe they are watching the girls train. I often find them there. Do you know where G.E.N.I.E. is?' Martin deduced.

'Well, no.' Caleb replied. 'The only thing I'm sure of is that Natasha and Ilana are watching over Will. They've been plaguing our new Oracle for almost every day to show her how they were progressing.'

'Okay, then we've found two, but we're still missing eighteen.' Alchemy said discouraged. 'This is hopeless!'

'You know what bothers me?' Martin said as he was biting absently on his knuckles.

'What?' Taranee asked interested.

'There are always two of G.E.N.I.E. with Will when we are missing our students and they turn up hours later…' Martin said.

Suddenly an idea started to dawn in their minds. All four of them widened their eyes as they looked at each other.

'You don't think?' they all said before heading to Will's tent.

The canvas in front of the tent indicated that there were people inside it and the four could see that a candle was lit next to Will's face. They pushed the canvas aside and saw twenty children all looking breathless at Will. They were either sitting on the ground or on the few chairs in the tent. They also noticed Angelo, Cassidy, Nerissa, Mandy, Nigel, Andrew and Joel standing in the crowd. When some of the kids noticed that the canvas was pushed away they glared at the four adults.

'Come in and close the canvas!' they hissed. 'It's getting exciting.'

The four looked at each other in confusion and quickly closed the canvas behind them. They then turned their attention to Will.

'And there we were. We saw that the room was empty. Hay-Lin, Taranee and I were searching through the room in the hope of finding clues. Taranee found Elyon's sketchbook and we saw a picture of her sitting in a throne. Hay-Lin told us that that was the chair from her dreams and then it clicked. I figured out that the coronation was held a day early. Today!'

She stopped to cough harshly but then continued as if nothing had happened.

'Right after we found that out we turned around to run towards the throne room. But we found our way blocked by Cedric.'

The kids all gasped and were, if it was possible, looking with even more attention than first.

'I thought that we were in some trouble. We couldn't fight the snake while Elyon needed to be saved! But then Cedric screamed in pain. It turned out that Blunk had bitten in his tail. Cedric threw him of his tail and onto the drapery of Elyon's bed. "Not just scavenger! Warrior!" he said.'

Some kids clapped and cheered and Taranee saw Angelo, Cassidy and Nerissa smile.

'But I had eye for someone else. Matt Olsen ran past Cedric while Cedric was trying to hurt Blunk. He asked me how he could help. Believe me that part of me was going gaga that he was so brave to come here, while another part of me was screaming to feed him to Cedric. We bickered a bit when Cedric interrupted by roaring. Taranee acted smart by creating a wall of fire to keep him at bay. Then I grabbed Matt and we flew out of the window. Don't worry, Blunk escaped as well.' she added with a smile when she saw some kids look concerned.

'When we were back in the main hall we saw that the rebels were winning from Phobos' guards. Caleb had one on his knees and when he saw another one coming at him he jumped over the railing, neatly dodging the sword. I saw that he issued some orders through the walkie-talkies when suddenly the wall exploded. And standing in the dust was…'

At that moment Will stopped because Martin had cleared his throat. All the kids were glaring at the four newcomers and even Cassidy glared at them. She had never heard about this story and was completely swept away by it.

'Sorry to interrupt you.' Martin said although he didn't sound sorry at all. 'But these kids are supposed to have school. And not fairytales.'

'They're no fairytales!' a girl called out. 'It was real!'

'Come on Will! Please continue.' Ehren said with puppy dog eyes.

Will laughed softly when she saw the pleading looks of the kids and the glaring look of Martin.

'Sorry kids, but Martin's right. You need your school.' Will said with a smile. 'Besides I need to talk with the Warriors, Nerissa, Nigel, Caleb and Taranee. But I promise, next time I'll continue.'

A lot of moans came from the children and Cassidy while Martin nodded approvingly.

*_Never thought you would say that.*_ Taranee said to Will with a smirk.

*_Oh shut up.*_ Will replied with a smirk of her own.

Right then the kids all turned their glares on Martin and poor Alchemy.

'Kill the non-believers!' Ehren exclaimed as she pointed at Martin and Alchemy.

'I would run.' Caleb said with a smile as he saw how the small mob of children got up and started to advance towards Alchemy and Martin.

Both took that advice and started to run. Soon the whole tent was empty except for the Warriors, Nigel, Caleb, Nerissa, Taranee and Will. They were all laughing while Will sometimes coughed through it. Taranee went to Will's nightstand and took a wet towel out of the bowl with cold water. She wringed it out and laid it on Will's head.

'It looks like someone is starting to feel better again.' she said.

'I would feel better if you guys stopped with babysitting me like a four year old.' Will said with a pout.

'We'll keep babysitting you as a four year old as long as you act like one.' Angelo said, getting an extra pout from Will. 'You're supposed to become the Oracle! You really need to act a little more like one.'

For some reason Will looked sad after Angelo had said this. The others noticed her sudden change in mood and looked concerned at her.

'Hey Will, what's wrong?' Taranee asked concerned.

'Nothing.' Will replied. 'It's just difficult to grasp the fact that I'm becoming the Oracle, that's all.'

'No, I say there is more to it.' Mandy said with a critical look.

'I say it's a guy.' Nerissa said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

At this Will blushed and Angelo and Caleb straightened up. The others all noticed Will's blush and snickered softly.

'So it is a guy!' Cassidy teased lightly. 'Tell me, what cutie do you have in mind? As long that it isn't Joel I'm cool with it.'

'As if it would matter.' Will said glumly.

'What do you mean?' Andrew asked confused.

'Well seeing my future job I don't think I can get together with someone.' Will explained gloomily.

'I don't see what the problem is.' Mandy said. 'If you want to be with someone, then go for it!'

'She has a point.' Caleb said.

'A very good point.' Angelo added.

'You guys don't get it, Do you?' Will said in an annoyed tone. 'I'm the Oracle! And as the Oracle I should place the wellbeing of the Known Worlds above my own!'

'And who made this rule?' Nerissa said with a smirk.

'The first Oracle.' Will replied.

'And who are you again?' Joel said with a smirk.

'The Ora…' Will said before she realized what her friends were trying to tell her. 'Ooooh!'

'All that knowledge and it still took all of us for you to help you see what was right in front of your face.' Angelo said with a grin as he ruffled Will's hair.

'Looks like you're still the Will Vandom we all know and love.' Caleb said with a grin.

'And what does that mean?' Will asked as she crossed her arms.

'You're the Oracle, you should know.' Angelo said, getting a huff followed by a pouty look out of Will as the others laughed.

'See it like this, Will.' Taranee said as she wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder. 'Oracle or not, you're still you.'

Hearing this brought a smile to Will's face as she looked at the friends she had.

*_So now all you have to do is decide.*_ Taranee said to Will with telepathy. *_Caleb or Angelo?*_

_*Treading on dangerous ground again, Miss Cook.*_ Will said as she looked at her smirking friend with a smirk of her own.

'So why do you want us here? I doubt it is just to settle your own doubts.' Nigel said.

Will smirked at them as she started to act a little bored. She looked at her nails as she spoke.

'Well, considering what happened back during our last fight I thought you guys had some questions. But seeing that you have none I'll just go back to sleep or something.' she said slyly.

She noticed that Angelo, Cassidy, Nerissa, Nigel, Caleb, Mandy, Andrew and Joel were looking at her with their mouths wide open while Taranee was smirking big time. Will faked a yawn and went to lay in her bed.

'Oh no you don't!' Cassidy said.

'Relax I was just toying with you.' Will said with a smirk as she got back up. 'Tell me, what's on your mind?'

'How did Taranee get my bracelet?' Angelo asked.

'And how did G.E.N.I.E. know what to do?' Mandy added.

'It's quite simple.' Will answered.

'Then elude us with your knowledge.' Andrew said sarcastic.

'I will.' Will said with a twinkle in her eyes. 'Now how Taranee got that bracelet is easy. I gave it to her right before the transformation had ended. And how did I get it? From Caleb's pocket.'

'Wait a second. How did my bracelet end up in Caleb's pocket?' Angelo questioned.

'Remember when we found out where these bracelets actually came from?' Will asked.

'Yes. From Atlantis, right?' Angelo said.

'Atlantis?' Cassidy, Nerissa, Joel, Mandy, Andrew, Taranee and Nigel exclaimed surprised.

'Other story, Angelo will explain it to you shortly after this.' Will said, waving the questions away. 'Yes, remember that I stole your bracelet to have a better look at it?'

'Yes.' Angelo said.

'And that we, immediately after finding out where the bracelets came from, went to the rescue of G.E.N.I.E.?' Will continued.

Angelo nodded.

'Hmm-mm.'

'Well during that fight I slipped the bracelet in Caleb's pocket. I thought I could use it later on and see here, I could.' Will said with a simple shrug.

Everyone looked at her with open mouth.

'You knew this would happen?' Caleb asked dumbfounded.

'Knew?' Will said. 'No. But I had a feeling I could use the thing. And when you collided with my cage back during our last fight I took the bracelet back, just in time to slip it around Taranee's wrist before Hay-Lin's control could take place.'

'And how about G.E.N.I.E.?' Mandy asked eagerly. 'How did they know?'

'During our "enthrallment" I contacted them telepathically and told Natasha to throw the Heart to me and that the others would help Taranee with her shield.' Will said again with a simple shrug.

The others looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. Their mouths were again wide open.

'You all look like human frogs with your mouths and eyes like that.' Will said with a giggle.

The others quickly recomposed themselves.

'You really seem to have a plan for everything, don't you?' Caleb said in amazement.

Will shrugged again.

'It comes and it goes.' she said. 'But I should be really lucky that you actually came to rescue me, Caleb or else we would have lost Taranee as well.'

Caleb looked a little hurt. It seemed to him that Will was doubting that he would save her. Will seemed to notice his mood and quickly tried to restore her error.

'Talking about my rescue, I never got a chance to thank you.' she said.

She then slowly got out of bed but Caleb was quick to push her back. Will's eyes twinkled and she grabbed his head and kissed him softly on his mouth. Caleb's eyes widened in shock as Will let go of him and went back to bed. She smirked at him as he was touching his lips in shock. And he wasn't the only one who was shocked. Taranee was smirking and Cassidy was cheering for Will. Nerissa wasn't quite sure on how she felt about it and Mandy smiled as well. The boys on the other hand were terribly shocked. None of them would deny that Will looked hot and all of them felt a small fire of jealousy awaken in them. Angelo was completely shocked by it and he had a sudden urge to kick Caleb where the sun does not shine.

'That's not fair!' Joel said. 'We saved you as well!'

Will and Cassidy raised an eyebrow at him.

'Are you demanding a kiss from me as well?' Will said interested. 'Are you thinking of leaving Cassidy?'

'N-No!' Joel said when he noticed that there was a misunderstanding.

'I think you do want a kiss from Will, Joel Wright!' Cassidy said to him with a hurt tone.

'Go! Go to the younger looking and way sexier woman! I know I'm ugly.' she said as she made some tears appear.

Nerissa hugged Cassidy and glared at Joel.

'How could you?' she whispered. 'Cassidy has been through so much! And after thinking she finally found a guy who liked her you betray her for a younger sexier model. Was she just that for you? A doll you could replace?'

'N-No!' Joel said shocked. 'I-I didn't mean to…'

'Be quiet you evil man.' Nerissa said as she still comforted Cassidy. 'Join your evil mistress!'

'Yes, Joel.' Will said with an evil and soft voice. 'Come to me.' she patted the space next to her on the bed. 'Leave that old lady.'

'N-No!' Joel yelled in desperation. 'Listen, Cass. I didn't mean to! I really love you!'

Cassidy turned around and Joel saw that she was smiling. And no tears in sight.

'Good!' she said. 'That's all I wanted to hear! I love you too.'

Joel noticed that he had been tricked and looked sheepishly at Cassidy. She kissed him on his mouth.

'Don't know if I'm a better kisser than Will but you deserved it after how these two teased you.' she said with a smirk.

The others were all laughing at Joel's expense.

'Well, Andrew I won't kiss you because that would look as if you were cheating on your soon to be wife.' Will said after that everyone was done laughing. 'Joel you already had a kiss from Cassidy. Mandy, no offense but I don't kiss women.'

'None taken.' Mandy said with a smile.

'Let's see who do we have more… A yes! Angelo!' Will said.

Angelo walked to Will. He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted the kiss. Sure he liked Will. He wasn't even sure if he loved her anymore. After that fight in the palace his feelings were all messed up. He had the feeling that he loved someone else…Someone completely different from Will. Will of course noticed his confusion and did what any good friend would do. She kissed him on the cheek. Angelo rubbed the place where she'd kissed him and went back to the others.

'You're a guy devourer Will!' Cassidy said to Will with a smirk, making Will blush. 'And then you're agonizing about how to get a guy!'

Will cleared her throat and her blush disappeared.

'Yeah, well.' she said. 'Ughum. I believe you guys wanted to know about Atlantis?'

'Oh yeah!' they said as they all turned expectantly to Angelo.

Angelo noticed the sudden attention and looked confused at the others.

'What?' he asked still a little dazed.

'Will said that you would explain.' Mandy said calmly.

'Yeah, so start talking!' Cassidy said as she nudged him.

Angelo saw that he had lost before the battle had even started and he sighed in compliance.

'Okay, fine.' he said. 'Well it happened around the year 3000 B.C. As you all know the writing had just been discovered by the Egyptians. But there was another civilization which was way further developed than them. They lived on an island in the Atlantic and you could compare their civilization with ours. They had TV, radio, cars which were fueled by water and even spaceships. But in what their civilization differed from ours was that they knew about magic. Everyone of Atlantis could use magic. The Heart of Earth was their ruler. They lived long and happily until Kandrakar had taken notice of them. Kandrakar wanted to ally themselves with Earth or to be specific with Atlantis. At first the Atlanteans were glad to ally themselves with Kandrakar. Years went by and many Atlanteans became Guardians. But then it happened. A murder had happened, extinguishing the royalty of Atlantis. Another family got to power and their first act was to blame the murder on Kandrakar, saying that Kandrakar was frightened of the power of Atlantis. Many instantly believed this because they had heard of what the Guardians had to do on other planets. This caused a small war between Kandrakar and Atlantis. The Atlanteans created these bracelets in a counteract to the Guardians' enthralling powers and the Sight of the Oracle. After decades of fighting the Guardians ended it by letting Atlantis being swallowed by the sea.'

The others looked in great shock at him. They, and especially Taranee, Nerissa and Cassidy, couldn't believe that the Guardians would have done something like that.

'Some of the treasures stayed intact. These bracelets are one of the few things that still proves that Atlantis existed.' Angelo said as he held his bracelet up.

'They are also the reason of how Hay-Lin managed to get to Kandrakar.' Will said.

Everyone turned their attention back to Will.

'What do you mean?' Cassidy asked.

'The Atlanteans had also built doorways to Kandrakar and some of them were built on America, while others were built in Europe, Asia and Africa.' Will explained. 'Though many are destroyed by either barbarians or Christians who believed that it was a tribute to a demigod. And our luck just has it that one of these doorways was built in Heatherfield. To be exact, it lay beneath Villa Ludmoore.'

'And Hay-Lin found it?' Andrew asked.

It wasn't exactly question so no-one answered it.

'But I don't see how this could help us any way.' Taranee said after a short period of silence.

'Well, you know Taranee. The Atlanteans always wanted to know where their brethren and sisters were. So they used their own magic. The bracelets are also capable of tracking other gems or accessory down that have the same function as they do.' Will explained.

'And?' Caleb said. 'Do you think someone who could help us has these things as well?'

Will stared him right in the eyes. The unnatural tranquility was again visible on her face.

'Oh yes. I'm quite sure that there are people who can help us who have these gems. You see, Atlantean magic has a certain trace and only an Oracle is capable of sensing it. Though because of its property of concealing the holder from the Sight of an Oracle, I can only indicate a rough location. Once there, you have to make the stone lead you to its sister.'

'But who is it?' Cassidy urged.

'The families Hale and Lair.' Will said calmly.

There was a sudden silence in the tent. From far they could hear Ehren moan about a difficult math problem. All of them stared in disbelieve at Will.

'Y-You mean you found them?' Angelo asked surprised.

'Well, I found where they are in the vicinity.' Will admitted.

'Where?' Taranee asked excited.

'Fadden Hills.' Will replied.

'Well that makes things easy!' Angelo said. 'You and I know every corner of that back water town! We can easily find them once you're better.'

Will shook her head.

'No, after my illness is gone I want to start training for the end. For the war. No, you and Taranee will go to Fadden Hills and find the Hales and Lairs. Bring them here as quickly as possible. Hay-Lin may not know where they are but the cops and her assassination squads are looking 24/7 for them. It's crucial we find them.'

'Why not me?' Caleb asked. 'Or Cassidy or some of the other Warriors? Or Martin and Alchemy?'

'Because if you would go, the rebellion wouldn't have a leader to fall back on.' Will said. 'So my advice is that you'll stay here. And why it's better that those two go? Because both the Lairs as well as the Hales know Taranee and Angelo and they will trust them.'

Caleb nodded.

'So we go to Fadden Hills tonight?' Taranee asked Angelo.

'Sure thing. Let me pack my stuff and I'll meet you at the entrance.' Angelo said.

Taranee got up as well and wanted to walk away to get her belongings.

'Oh Taranee wait!'

Taranee turned around to see Cassidy approach her. She then extended her bracelet.

'Take it. Will isn't around to conceal you from Yannie's Sight so you're gonna need it.' she said.

Taranee accepted the bracelet and put it around her arm.

'Thanks Cass. And don't worry. Next time you'll join the fray.' Taranee said as she hugged Cassidy.

'Yeah it's alright already!' Cassidy said with a laugh. 'But remember. If I find only one scratch on my bracelet I'm going after you missy!'

Taranee laughed as well.

'I'll take care of it.' she said.

Slowly Will's tent became empty. They all went to say their goodbyes to Angelo and Taranee. The only one who remained in the tent was Nerissa.

'Aren't you going to say goodbye?' Will asked.

Nerissa smiled at her.

'No. I know what you're planning. You were waiting for all of us to go away so you could roam through the base a little. Forget it.' she said.

'Oh come on Rissa!' Will said annoyed. 'Do you have any idea how boring this is? Beating Angelo with chess isn't even funny anymore!'

'I know how we can fix that.' Nerissa said as she took a chair and went to sit next to Will. 'Now tell me about your stories. I've already heard a lot but I never heard the beginning. Now if you could start there.'

Will smiled at Nerissa.

'Sure. You see, it all happened when I moved to Heatherfield.'

_At Hay-Lin's HQ_

Hay-Lin was annoyed. After the battle against "Oracle" Will she had gone to Kandrakar. After ranting to her grandmother she went to the vast library of Kandrakar. There she went looking for strong races who she could add to her army. She needed every bit of strength to crush Will and the rebellion, but mainly Will. She had been reading books for two weeks and had only found one race which could help her. No, which would help her. So she took the books she still needed to read back to her HQ. She couldn't stay too long away or else her minions would get crazy ideas. And yet, even in her two weeks of absence one of her minions had gotten a crazy idea. Now Hay-Lin was sitting at her dining table with Cornelia and Irma standing right behind her and, a couple of places away, Courtney was sitting at the table as well. Hay-Lin was calmly eating her dinner when a sound was heard. The doors opened to reveal Uriah and Aldarn carrying Bess. They placed her next to Hay-Lin and then went to stand next to the door opening. Hay-Lin hadn't looked up from her food.

'Bess.' she said friendly. 'Please, take a seat.'

Bess, too afraid to refuse, nodded and took a seat next to Hay-Lin. She glanced at Courtney who looked back at her in concern.

'Please, eat something.' Hay-Lin said as she motioned to the food. 'I can't eat it all alone. Courtney, you too are allowed to eat.'

Both women looked suspiciously at the food but seeing that Hay-Lin was eating it, they saw no harm. They ate in silence. Once Hay-Lin was done with her dinner she waited for the Grumper sisters to end as well. She then turned to Bess.

'Did you like the food?' she asked.

'Y-Yes ma'am.' Bess answered quivering.

Hay-Lin smiled.

'That's good.'

Somewhere down below, they could hear a scream from someone who was being tortured. Bess and Courtney cringed yet Hay-Lin paid no attention to it. She locked eyes with Bess.

'Tell me Bess, haven't I given you everything you wanted?' Hay-Lin asked. She sounded hurt yet Bess shivered.

'Yes ma'am.' she said.

'And haven't I saved you from the authorities when you were caught with drugs?' Hay-Lin continued as she took an apple from the table.

'Yes ma'am.' Bess replied, not knowing why Hay-Lin was asking her this.

'And haven't I saved your sister from a certain death?' Hay-Lin said as she took a bite out of the apple.

Bess glanced at Courtney. Courtney met her gaze for two seconds before turning her head back to the table. Bass gulped and looked again at Hay-Lin.

'Yes ma'am.' she said.

Hay-Lin looked at her with icy grey eyes.

'Then could you explain to me why the F.B.I., the only Earth facility that still opposes me, showed up at a moment that my HQ was vulnerable due to my absence?'

Bess quivered but she didn't answer. She didn't dare to tell Hay-Lin that she had hoped that the F.B.I. would demolish her HQ before she returned. Now the members of the F.B.I. who were caught were being tortured in the dungeons at this very moment.

'Do you know what I normally do with traitors?' Hay-Lin questioned.

'Y-You either kill them, torture them, enthrall them or exile them.' Bess replied with a small and quivering voice.

Hay-Lin smiled as she studied her apple.

'That's right.' she said. 'But there is another option. And seeing that I need to increase my army I think I'll do just that.'

'My Lady?' Bess asked scared and confused.

'Do you know what happened to Eric Lyndon, dear Bess?' Hay-Lin asked her as she again fixed her eyes on Bess.

Bess' eyes widened in terror. Uriah and Aldarn came from behind and grabbed her firmly.

'No!' she pleaded. 'Anything but that! I'll swear I'll do anything for you but please! Not that!'

Courtney looked in horror at how her sister was being taken away. She took a knife and ran at Uriah. She hoped that he would loosen his grip on Bess if she stabbed him. But before she could stab him she felt a cold metal penetrating her chest.

Bess looked in horror how her sister crashed to the ground, still with the knife in her hand. Cornelia was standing over her with a bloodstained sword. Bess felt her tears run over her cheeks as she started to fight even harder for her freedom. She wanted to get to her sister but the boys were too strong. As she was being pulled away she casted one last glare at Hay-Lin, who was carelessly eating her apple.

'You'll pay for this!' Bess yelled. 'Mark my words that you will pay for this Hay-Lin!'

Hay-Lin looked with dark pleasure at how Bess was being taken away. She got up as well. She needed to prepare the right things for Bess her "punishment". She stepped lazily over the corps of Courtney. Before she left the room she turned to Cornelia and Irma.

'Irma, clean the table and Cornelia, clean that trash on the floor. It is bound to start smelling within the hour.' she said before closing the doors behind her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>[AN] And that was chapter 8 folks! I hope you liked it. Will has told them where to find the Hales and Lairs, but Do they want to be found? And Will seems to like to entertain the kids by telling her stories as a Guardian. Meanwhile Angelo is having mixed feelings about his love for Will. Does he really love her or is there someone else? And boy Hay-Lin… Man is she a bitch or what? Killing Courtney in cold blood. She is getting nastier with the minute! And what has she planned for Bess? And what has she done to Eric?**_

_**Review and maybe you'll get to know more.**_

_**Good night to all!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**[A/N] Just to tell you. Earth now knows about magic. Thanks to Hay-Lin that is. They don't know about good magic or Guardians. Hopefully Will, Taranee, the Warriors of Erutan and G.E.N.I.E. can fix that.**_

**Chapter 9**

A fold opened in Fadden Hills. Two people walked out of it.

'Geez, it's dark here.' Taranee said.

'I agree.' Angelo said. 'Wait a sec.'

Taranee heard some stumbling. Suddenly the light came on. Taranee had to blink a couple of times to adjust to the light. She saw that she was standing in a living room. Her eyes widened.

'Angelo!' she hissed. 'Are you insane? We can't just fold into someone's home! They would think we work for Hay-Lin!'

Angelo grabbed Taranee's shoulders in an attempt to calm her.

'Taranee, calm down!' Angelo said calmly. 'This is my old house.'

Taranee looked at him in surprise.

'You old house?' she questioned.

Angelo nodded.

'Uncle John never sold the place. He said that it could always be of some use. And now we'll use it.' he explained.

'Then you don't mind if I…?' Taranee asked as she motioned with her hands.

'Oh! No. Look around.' Angelo said inviting after getting the hint.

Taranee smiled at him and started to walk around. She noticed that there were a lot of photo frames standing around. She walked to the fireplace and took one. It showed a girl with shockingly red hair who was piggy back riding on the back of an Afro-American boy with dreads. They seemed around the age of 7 and looked really happy.

'Is this Will?' she asked.

Angelo took a look at the picture. He then chuckled.

'Yeah. That day we were just playing around.'

'You two look cute together.' Taranee said absent mindedly. She then noticed what she said, seeing Angelo blush like crazy.

'I meant, on the picture.' she said.

'Oh, yeah. Those were the times.' Angelo said as he rubbed the back of his head. He then laughed.

'Look at me! I'm talking like my grandpa Joe!' he said smiling.

Taranee smiled at him when suddenly something came to her attention. There was no dust. No dust on the fireplace, the pictures, the lamps. Nowhere.

'Uhm, Angelo?' she questioned.

'Yes?' Angelo replied.

'Are you sure that no-one lives here?' Taranee asked as she placed the picture back on the fireplace.

'Why are you asking?' Angelo asked.

'There is no dust. Meaning that someone has to be living here.' Taranee pointed out as she slowly started to advance to the door opening.

'It's okay, Taranee.' Angelo said as he walked to her. 'If I'm right there should be one person here.'

Taranee looked at him as if he was crazy. At that moment the door to the living room swung open and revealed an elderly, Latino woman with a broom.

'Who are you?' she asked with a Latino accent.

Angelo smiled but Taranee went into a fighting stance.

'Relax Taranee.' he said. 'This is our old house keeper, Tanya.'

'How do you know my name?' Tanya said as she pointed her broom at Angelo.

'Come on Tanya!' Angelo said as he held his hands in a surrendering position. 'It's me! Angelo!'

'Signor Angelo?' Tanya said surprised.

She let her broom lower for a moment before she pointed it back at Angelo.

'I'm not buying it! Hay-Lin's minions have said the same! They all fail before Tanya's test!' she said as she squinted her eyes at Angelo.

'Okay!' Angelo said, now feeling a little threatened. 'What's the test?'

'A question.' Tanya said. 'And only the real signor Angelo can answer it!'

'Then what's the question?' Angelo said.

Tanya smiled at him.

'This woman is nuts.' Taranee whispered in Angelo's ear. 'Let's knock her out before she does something weird.'

Tanya then hit Taranee on her head with the broom.

'I've got good hearing, thank you!' she said as she glared at Taranee, who was now nursing her head. 'And I'll kick your booty if you answer my question falsely.'

Angelo sighed. 'Okay Tanya, give me the question.' he said bored.

'What dish did signor Angelo and senorita Will create when they were 7?' Tanya asked.

Angelo started to smile. 'That's an easy one.' he said. 'The shrimp, pineapple and chicken pizza.'

Taranee gave him a strange look. Angelo noticed it and shrugged.

'What? We made it because we were hungry! And it's quite good.' he said.

Taranee shook her head with a smile.

'I believe you.' she said.

Tanya dropped the broom. She then rushed to Angelo and hugged him. Though her head didn't come any higher than Angelo's chest she still seemed to have some strength in her old bones. Angelo gasped.

'Tanya! Air!' he said with difficulty.

Tanya let go. She smiled at him.

'It's so good to see you again signor Angelo!' she said.

Her gaze then shifted to Taranee. She glared at her as she took the broom of the floor, but before she could point it at Taranee Angelo stepped in.

'Wow! Tanya, it's okay! This is Taranee. A friend of mine.' Angelo said.

'And she can be trusted.' he added when he noticed that Tanya wasn't lowering the broom.

Tanya slowly lowered the broom.

'I'm sorry senorita.' she said apologetically. 'But you can't be too cautious these days.'

Taranee just nodded. Angelo looked at Tanya.

'Tell us Tanya, how are things going nowadays?'

Tanya gave him a grave look. She motioned that they should sit down. As Taranee and Angelo sat down on the couch she scurried away. Not long after she returned with some coffee and cake. She gave the cups to Angelo and Taranee and took her own in her hands as she sat down in a chair opposite of them.

'Why are you here?' she then said.

'We're looking for someone here in Fadden Hills.' Angelo answered.

'I see.' Tanya said as she took a sip of her coffee.

It was silent for a couple of minutes. Taranee felt kinda out of place and Angelo kept gazing at Tanya. Tanya was slowly drinking some of her coffee while staring at the wall behind Taranee and Angelo. Angelo decided to break the silence.

'You said that Hay-Lin had sent some men who were claiming to be me.' Angelo said. 'Why? And how did you handle them?'

Tanya shifted her gaze to Angelo. She then chuckled softly.

'She thought that you might return to gather some supplies or something.' Tanya answered. 'And how I got them out? That was pretty easy. I just whacked them with my broom. All said the same. "Crazy old woman with a broom!".'

She chuckled again.

'This is not the Fadden Hills you left, signor.' she then said, her gaze focusing on Angelo.

'What do you mean?' Angelo said.

'It's almost always dark here.' Tanya answered. 'Some say that Hay-Lin influences the weather with her magic. Just to punish Fadden Hills for raising Will Vandom and Angelo Vanders.'

'Do you believe that?' Taranee said non believing.

Tanya shrugged.

'I don't know.' she said. 'But what I do know is that both signor Angelo as senorita Will are big heroes here in Fadden Hills. We've heard about you're exile, senorita Will's forced allegiance to Hay-Lin, her betrayal and the big fight in Meridian. I must say, I'm pretty impressed signor.'

Angelo blushed slightly.

'Thanks.' he said.

'What else changed?' Taranee questioned.

Tanya looked somberly at her.

'Everything, senorita.' she answered. 'Kids don't dare to set foot outside between 6.00 P.M. till 7.00 A.M. Adults don't come out until night. Crime rules the streets. If you need to go out then it's wise to wear a bullet repelling armor and a helmet. Drugs are easy to get. Kids learn that the rebellion is evil and that Hay-Lin is the 'savior' of this world. Also everything that considers a belief, like our believe in God or the Buddhists' believe in Buddha, is forbidden.'

'What?' Angelo and Taranee said in disbelieve.

Tanya nodded sadly.

'Assassins, corrupted police and soldiers loyal to Hay-Lin roam the streets.' she said. 'But there are some people who say that help is coming. They all have a strong believe that someone will be send to save us. There are some people who openly dare to question Hay-Lin. They call out to the people to take a stand and not lose hope. They told the masses that they will join signor Angelo and senorita Will. Or as they say: "Join us! For we will join the Red Menace Will and the Dark Warrior Angelo!" There are a lot of people who join this little rebellion by spreading this.'

'Dark Warrior and Red Menace huh?' Angelo said with a chuckle. 'That sounds pretty cool.'

'Wait, you mean there are people who rebel?' Taranee said.

'Si, senorita.' Tanya said. 'They mostly move around Fadden Hills around 10.00 P.M.' Tanya said.

Both Taranee and Angelo looked at the clock. It said 9.50 P.M. Both looked at each other.

'These people could be the ones we're looking for.' Taranee said.

'Why do you think that?' Angelo asked.

'If they weren't then they would have been killed already.' Taranee said with a shrug. 'You really don't think that Hay-Lin will accept this, do you?'

'You're right.' Angelo said. 'Hay-Lin must hate Will and me by now so I don't think she'll like this.'

He then turned to Tanya.

'Tanya, does this group have a base or a place they come by often?' he asked.

Tanya shook her head.

'I'm afraid I don't know signor. You see, they normally wander around through the city. Though they often choose the swimming pool.'

'That settles it then.' Angelo said as he got up. 'We'll stake out at the swimming pool and hope that we can meet these mystery people and hopefully, they are the ones we need.'

Taranee got up as well.

'Thanks for the coffee and help.' she said politely.

'Tanya. Maybe we'll return, maybe we won't.' Angelo said as he made amends to go away. 'Anyway it was nice to see you again.'

Tanya, however, wasn't planning on letting them go this easily. She got up and rushed to block the door for them.

'You can't go!' she said. 'Hay-Lin's forces are looking for you! A bounty is standing on your heads! You can't!'

Angelo smiled softly.

'Tanya, you worry too much. We can take care for ourselves.' he said.

'But…' Tanya said.

'No buts! We have to do this! It's to save this world and the others.' Angelo said. 'Now please stand aside.'

Tanya glared at Angelo while Angelo looked calmly back at her. A certain stubbornness was visible in his eyes. She sighed.

'You look too much like your grandfather, you know that?' she said as she moved away.

Angelo smiled.

'So I've been told.' he said with a grin. 'Don't worry. If we don't find them tonight, we'll return.'

Tanya watched sadly how Angelo and Taranee walked through the main door and through the rain.

'May God protect you.' she said softly before closing the door.

'Do you really think we'll find them there?' Taranee asked as she watched how the door closed.

'I don't know, but it's the only clue we have.' Angelo said.

After some walking they came to a back alley. During their walk they had to evade the troops that were marching through the streets.

'There is the entrance of the swimming pool.' Angelo said as he pointed at a big door of the building next to the alley. 'And there is the side entrance.' he said as he pointed at the door opposite of them.

'Then let's hide here. I can glamour us both as trashcans.' Taranee said as she called on her magic.

Soon the alley was empty except for a pair of trashcans that were standing there. Only if one would look really close and at the right time they could see the trashcans move.

'Angelo.' Taranee whispered through the rain. 'I think you should transform. It would be safer.'

'I agree on that. You know, I'm quite jealous of you. You don't have to transform to use your full powers.' Angelo said as he prepared to transform.

'Lucky me.' Taranee said sarcastically as she watched Angelo transform.

'Maybe I should stay like this.' Angelo said. 'That way, we can't be surprised by anything nasty.'

'I agree.'

Two hours later Taranee couldn't stop herself.

'Angelo, can I ask you something?' she asked.

'Sure, what is it?' Angelo said.

He would do anything to escape the boredom of this stake-out.

'What do you think of Will?' Taranee said.

If it wasn't for the glamour she could have seen Angelo blush. But now she could only pick up his emotions.

'Wh-what do you mean?' he said.

'You're talking to a Fire Guardian.' Taranee said. 'I have telepathy and I can sense emotions. You can't play dumb with me.'

'Okay. Okay!' he said a little annoyed. 'I think I like Will. Happy?'

'You think you like Will?' Taranee said a little surprised. 'Why do you think that? Aren't you sure about it?'

'Well…First I thought I was.' Angelo admitted. 'But, back before I was exiled. When she was forced to kiss me. It..It wasn't…I mean it was a good kiss, that nonetheless…but not…I didn't feel "it"… you know?'

'I know.' Taranee said softly. 'That explains your sudden doubt in emotions when she wanted to kiss you.'

'You sensed that huh?' he said.

'Yeah, you were broadcasting it. It wasn't that hard to figure it out.' she replied.

'But I don't know what to do… I don't know if I love Will…Besides, I know she likes someone else.' Angelo said.

'You noticed it as well?' Taranee said surprised.

Angelo laughed softly.

'I don't need magic to know when Will liked someone or not.' he said.

'I see.' Taranee said with a small smile. 'But from what you say I can only think of one thing.'

'And that is?' Angelo asked interested.

'You like someone else. Someone your mind has forgotten but your heart remembers. And it's telling you that you should wait.' Taranee said.

'You think so?' he said.

'I may not be an expert on cars or games but believe me when I tell you that I know how love works. Just you'll wait. You figure it out someday.' she said kindly.

'Thanks Taranee.' Angelo said.

'Don't mention it.' Taranee said. 'But let's continue with our stake-out.'

Angelo silently agreed as the both of them returned on watching the doors. For hours and hours the two were sitting in the rain. But no-one came. They returned to Angelo's house in the morning, disappointed but they didn't give up. Every night they would return to their same spot in the alley. During the day they were mostly asleep and at night they were fixating their gazes on the doors. Sometimes they went out during the day, glamouring themselves to stay unrecognizable. They saw the misery in Fadden Hills. All around them there were gang fights, children crying over their parents death bodies which lay freely on the ground, robberies and more. Taranee and Angelo had to do their best not to act against it. They knew that if they did, they would blow their cover. Now the seventh night that they were staking out came and both Taranee and Angelo were starting to lose their hope.

'Angelo, if we don't find them tonight we'll start roaming the city, agreed?' Taranee said tiredly.

'I agree. This is getting us nowhere.' Angelo said.

Both were watching the doors again and for long it seemed that nothing would happen tonight. But then there was something that caught their attention. A small group went to the back door of the pool. They were busy with the lock. Taranee and Angelo were trying to recognize the face of one of these people when suddenly something big jumped on them.

'Aaaaaah!' they yelled.

The glamour disappeared as Taranee and Angelo were looking at their two attackers. They both noticed that their attackers were pretty powerful.

'Well, look what the cat dragged in.' a low voice said that Taranee and Angelo recognized.

_**[A/N] That was chapter 9! Who are these people that attacked Angelo and Taranee? Will our two heroes ever find the Hales and the Lairs or will they be given to Hay-Lin?**_

_**Review because I like your opinions! And don't hold back! Stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Alchemy walked through the rebel base with a bowl of cold water. She sighed a little. Both Taranee and Angelo left 7 days ago. Caleb and Nerissa had been training with their new swords while G.E.N.I.E. received extra lessons from Cassidy, Mandy, Joel and Andrew. Martin was busy with spying on Hay-Lin's activities in Meridian and the rebels themselves were training more and more. All knew that the big fight, the ending of this war, was coming near. Alchemy had taken the task of watching over Will. Will was starting to get better. The children came by every day to listen to her stories. This gave them extra reason to train harder. Will herself started moaning to Alchemy, saying that she was well enough to move around again, but Alchemy had made her promise to stay in bed until she was completely cured.

She was now walking to Will's tent. Yesterday Will's fever was nearly gone so with a bit of luck, Will would be better by tomorrow. Alchemy pushed the canvas aside and walked into the tent. What she saw made her stop abruptly. Will was doing a handstand with one hand while handing some very small papers with her other hand to a person who was smaller than Alchemy's thumb.

'So you will deliver these letters to the other worlds?' Will asked the tiny man.

'It will be my honor, oh Oracle!' the tiny man squeaked.

'I thank you for your help, but you really shouldn't fight in this war.' Will said as she switched arms. 'You and your people have done enough already.'

'Ma'am, I'm afraid you cannot stop our decision. You and your Guardians have saved us once and now we want to return the favor. Besides, our people have already fought once against the Zamballans and we will fight them again.' the tiny man spoke.

'Then I won't stop you.' Will said with a kind smile. 'Please deliver the letters and then prepare for battle.'

Alchemy saw the little man bow.

'I will. May the Main Tree cover you.' he said as a very tiny fold opened.

'Same for you.' Will said as she watched the tiny man leave.

She then bent forwards, creating a bridge before standing straight up. She saw Alchemy looking with her mouth wide open and grinned before stretching out.

'Alchemy, you're catching flies.' she said.

Alchemy quickly closed her mouth.

'Will! What are you doing out of bed?' Alchemy then said.

She put the bowl with water down and then went quickly to Will and tried to push her into bed but Will seemed to be stronger.

'Oh come on Alchemy!' Will moaned as she struggled to stop Alchemy from pushing her back in bed. 'I'm all better again! I'm no longer sick!'

Alchemy eyed Will with suspicion.

'You don't believe me?' Will asked.

'Considering that you've been saying this ever since day 1…No.' Alchemy said as she crossed her arms.

Will pouted.

'You know what?' she said. 'I don't have time to argue with you if I'm cured or not. So let's make a deal. You'll watch over me for the rest of the day. If I show any signs of illness you are allowed to pull me back into bed, if not you agree with me that I'm all better. Okay?'

Alchemy stared at Will. Will looked better than the days before. She looked confident, calm and fully energized. She sighed in defeat.

'Okay.' she said. 'But one sign of illness and you'll stay in bed till I say that you can come out, understood?'

Will smiled at Alchemy.

'I knew you would say that.' she said. 'Trust me you won't regret it.'

'I already do.' Alchemy said as she walked back to take her bowl with water.

'Well, I'm going to take a bath. Is it okay if I take it alone?' Will said as she eyed Alchemy.

'Sure.' Alchemy said. 'I can see that you're well enough to take a bath alone. Just warn me when you're ready. I'm going to watch the Guardians and the Warriors. They should be training now.'

A creepy sort of smile crept over Will's face but Alchemy hadn't noticed it because she was already heading out the tent.

'Sure, I'll warn you.' Will said.

Alchemy had a very bad feeling about this but sighed. There wasn't exactly a lot she could do. She didn't have any powers and she didn't know Will good enough to bribe her to stay in bed. She placed the bowl of water in the kitchen tent and walked to the training grounds. Natasha and Edeline were sparring against each other. Stones and lightning flew over the ground as the two clashed. Mandy and Joel were encouraging the two and yelling hints and tips. Ehren was fighting with an ice sword against Cassidy, who was holding a mace of ice. Georgi and Ilana were practicing combination techniques and were now trying to increase the range of Ilana's flamethrower by a gust of wind from Georgi, without dousing the fire. Caleb and Nerissa were again fighting each other. Both either clashed with their swords or used magic. Caleb could keep on shooting but Nerissa was still using her life force, even though she could use her magic with less strain on her life force. When Nerissa and Caleb took a small break, Caleb noticed Alchemy.

'Hey Alchemy!' he said. 'Aren't you supposed to be watching over Will?'

'I think she's completely cured of her illness.' Alchemy said with an awkward smile.

'She is?'

Alchemy, Caleb and Nerissa looked up to see the remaining Warriors and G.E.N.I.E. walking up to them.

'Is Will fully healed?' Georgi asked.

'She says she is but…' Alchemy started but was interrupted by the cheering of G.E.N.I.E.

'Yay! Will is fully healed!' Natasha said happily. 'I was worried!'

'Now she can help me train!' Georgi said as happy as Natasha.

'Oh, I think I can help you as well.' an ominous voice said.

Shivers ran down our heroes spines when they heard that voice. They all turned around to see someone standing in a black cloak. The person lowered the hood and immediately dodged several magic attacks. Caleb and Nerissa had pulled their swords and G.E.N.I.E. had took the air. Mandy flew next to them, Cassidy coated herself with ice, Joel was standing on his energy board and Andrew grew three times his height. Alchemy grabbed for the knives she had hidden in her sleeves. All of them eyed the cloaked person with hatred. For the cloaked person was none other than Hay-Lin!

'My, my, my. It seems that you weren't slacking off.' she said with a smirk on her face.

Caleb ran at Hay-Lin and thrust his sword at her. Hay-Lin laughed coldly at his attempt and jumped out of the way. Caleb immediately shot magic from Blue Destiny but Hay-Lin waved with the Heart of Zamballa and the attack was nullified.

Other rebels now noticed that Hay-Lin was in the base as well. They all grabbed their weapons and tried to get closer to the training grounds, only to find an invisible bubble blocking them.

'You will die for the things you've done!' Mandy yelled angrily at Hay-Lin.

Hay-Lin made a mock bow before grinning at Mandy.

'You like my work?' she said. 'I must say that Matt was a failure but then again, who am I to judge? He is one heck of a kisser, if his mouth doesn't smell like weed.' she said.

Mandy roared in anger and shot energized feathers at Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin inhaled and then blew the feathers harmlessly away.

'Andrew! One, two!' Cassidy said as she curled up in an ice ball.

Andrew grabbed Cassidy and threw her with full power at Hay-Lin. Cassidy stretched in mid-air and started to twirl around like a drill with her ice swords pointed forwards. Hay-Lin jumped high in the air but when Cassidy shot past her from beneath she "exploded". The ice that coated her shot right up at Hay-Lin, who didn't see it coming. The ice hit her hard. She bled at her arms and legs but she was smiling nonetheless.

'Cute.' she commented as she started to heal right in front of their eyes. 'But I've seen better.'

Joel then rushed at her, shooting energy balls at Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin smiled before disappearing in a small tornado. Everyone looked around in a vain attempt to find her. Hay-Lin's cold laughter echoed over the training grounds.

'Something wrong?' she said. 'Can't catch what you can't see?'

'Where is she?' Natasha said in slight panic.

'She was the Guardian of Air.' Caleb said. 'She can turn invisible at will.'

Georgi would never admit it but after hearing this and having seen how easily Hay-Lin created the little tornado she felt a pang of jealousy and maybe, MAYBE admiration.

Suddenly Hay-Lin appeared. She was standing next to Joel and kissed him on his mouth. Joel was shocked and tried to push Hay-Lin off him. Once their lips were parted Hay-Lin licked her lips with dark pleasure.

'Mmm.' she said. 'You still taste the same. It's just a shame I can't enthrall you anymore.'

'You bitch!'

Hay-Lin jumped away from Joel, just in time to dodge a massive ice ball. Joel, on the other hand, wasn't that lucky and got hit by it. Cassidy hurried to Joel, eyeing him with concern.

'Oh Joel! I'm so sorry!' she said.

Joel was nursing his head and moaned in pain.

'You've got quite the temper Cassidy.' Hay-Lin said. 'And not a bad taste for men. He is really good in bed, I'll give you that.'

Cassidy turned to Hay-Lin, her eyes blazing with hatred. She prepared for another attack but was stopped by Joel.

'Don't.' he said, still dazed. 'She tries to make you angry.'

Cassidy stopped her attack and nursed Joel.

'You know, Irma is also pretty good with the whole ice making.' Hay-Lin then said.

She looked at Andrew and saw that his anger was increasing. He grew a couple of extra feet and started to advance on Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin didn't move and kept talking.

'You know, I've been thinking of using her as a sort price. You know? The warrior that kills Angelo gets her as his bride. What do you think Andrew?' she said as she looked up at Andrew.

Andrew lost it as he roared in anger. He tried to step on Hay-Lin but Hay-Lin turned invisible again. Andrew punched a couple of times on the ceiling, making rocks fall to the ground in the hope of hitting Hay-Lin with one of them.

'I must say you guys take a death pretty well.' Hay-Lin said as she appeared behind Nerissa. 'I mean, okay. I knew you wouldn't care about Julian's death, Nerissa, but the others?'

Nerissa turned around and slashed her sword at Hay-Lin in rage. Hay-Lin caught the sword between her hands. Nerissa glared at Hay-Lin.

'I loved him.' she said softly. 'And you will pay for killing him!'

She then channeled her magic through the G-sword, electrocuting Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin quickly released the sword and shook her hands.

'So you've got some new tricks? That doesn't matter. What happened to Will, will happen to you.'

The others stopped their attacks and all looked at Hay-Lin.

'What did you do to Will?' Caleb said enraged.

Hay-Lin checked her nails.

'You know, her illness helped me more than I could ever wish for. Just like your gullibility.'

'What do you mean?' Natasha yelled threateningly as she crackled a bit with electricity.

Hay-Lin put a hand under her chin while her eyes looked maliciously at her enemies.

'Hmm… How to put this?' she said to herself. 'Ah! I've got it!'

She turned to all of them with a big smile on her face.

'When someone is taking a bath, unguarded, you don't hear them scream when you attack them from behind.'

'WITCH!' Caleb yelled as he stormed at Hay-Lin.

G.E.N.I.E. fired their attacks at Hay-Lin, all screaming in fury as tears flowed from their eyes. Caleb charged at Hay-Lin. The others quickly followed Caleb, all roaring in rage. Hay-Lin dodged the first couple of attacks of G.E.N.I.E. until Caleb and the others were near enough. She then started to twirl in her place, creating one heck of a tornado. Everyone who stood on the ground was sucked in it, even Andrew. G.E.N.I.E. and Mandy got sucked in it as well. The rebels, who were standing around the bubble that kept them away from the battle field, could feel the power of the tornado. The tornado slowly stopped and the Warriors, the Guardians, Caleb and Alchemy lay on the ground. Defeated.

'Well, that was no fun.' Hay-Lin said as she walked over to Caleb. 'Maybe I should have waited until Taranee and Angelo returned from Fadden Hills. Maybe then I would have had some fun.'

Caleb looked up.

'How do you know that Taranee and Angelo are in Fadden Hills?' he questioned.

Hay-Lin smirked at him. A happy light seemed to dance in her eyes.

'You should know that you can't hide these things from me.' she said. 'Rebel boy.'

Caleb's eyes widened as the others were slowly getting to their feet. Caleb got up and looked Hay-Lin in the eyes.

'You can't be!' he said.

_**[A/N] Okay, admit it. You people hate me. I cut off in Fadden Hills and then go to Meridian. That's not fair. But hey! Life's not fair. Now I bet you're wondering how it's possible how Hay-Lin was capable of getting into the rebel base, kill Will and be unseen by the rest of the rebels. Well…invisibility anyone? Also what did Caleb mean? Why didn't Hay-Lin kill them instantly? Is she planning on torturing them? Or is it something more complicated? I'm afraid you'll have to see that for yourself in the coming chapters!**_

_**Oh! Yeah, I've got a poll running about my season 2 REWRITTEN stories. There are currently 4 people who have voted on it. It's now 50% who wants Shagon to die and Zafyra to live and 50% who wants them both to live. Now I can't choose! So people, be nice and vote. The poll is on my profile.**_

_**And of course don't forget to review!**_

_**Ps. The little guy Will spoke to comes from the planet Minus. It is one of the Known Worlds and the people are rather …small. I've got the idea from the comics issue 69. And the whole "May the Main Tree cover you" is their version of "May the Lord watch over you." Considering that they have 1 single giant tree on their planet.**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

'Well, look what the cat dragged in.' a low voice said.

Taranee struggled at the mass that was pushing her to the ground. She couldn't see the person but she knew he was strong and heavy.

'Get off of me!' she said.

'Can't do doll.' the voice replied.

Suddenly a roar and a crash was heard. Taranee looked past the person on top of her and saw that Angelo had managed to throw his attacker off him. Taranee smiled and looked again at the person holding her.

'Now let us go or else.' she said.

'Or else what?' the person said.

'Or else this!'

Taranee engulfed herself in fire. The person who had a hold on her let her go.

'Youch!' he yelled.

The light that Taranee created was enough for her to see the face of her attacker. She gasped. The hair and whiskers were awfully familiar. She then noticed that her wrist was giving another sort of light. The gem on her bracelet was glowing blue, indicating that the one they were searching for was nearby. Angelo's gem glowed too and both were searching for the third blue light. They noticed that the small group that tried to get into the swimming pool had several blue lights.

'Taranee they are…' Angelo said in shock but was stopped when Khor rammed in him.

Angelo collided with the wall and fell unconscious. Taranee was still glowing with fire and Napoleon tried to stop her. She was blinding him and he blindly slashed at her. He first slashed her arm, scratching the bracelet. Taranee hadn't much time to worry about it because Napoleon then backhanded her. She also collided with the wall. Before she fainted she saw a couple of people walking up to them. One with familiar blond hair. Then she fainted.

'Urgh.'

Taranee slowly opened her eyes. She was looking into a dimly lit room. She could barely make out the swimming pool. Her head was hurting terribly. She tried to rub her head when she noticed that she was chained to the wall.

'You're awake?'

Taranee turned her head to see Angelo. He looked concerned at her.

'Yeah.' she replied. 'I only feel as if I drank too much.'

'That's good to hear.' Angelo replied with a smile. 'Have you seen our attackers?'

'You mean Napoleon and Huggles? Yeah, I saw them.' Taranee said.

She then remembered something and looked at her bracelet. She could clearly see a scratch on it. She started moaning.

'Great. Cassidy is going to kill me.' she moaned.

Angelo laughed nervously at her remark.

'So do you think they know who we are?' he then asked.

'I hope so.' Taranee replied. 'But then again, how many Afro-American people do they know who know about magic? And more specifically, how many do they know who can control fire?'

'Touché.' he said. 'So I guess we'll wait until they show themselves.'

'You could always break loose from the chains. I mean I can easily melt them.' Taranee proposed.

'Let's act as if we're helpless. That way we have a trick up our sleeve if they turn out to be enemies.' Angelo replied.

The two fell silent as they kept hanging. Time seemed to tick slower than normal and both were starting to feel sleepy. They've been staking out for the past evenings and the lack of sleep was catching up. Taranee yawned loudly when she heard the sound of opening doors. She and Angelo looked through the room and saw a group of people coming closer. They were all carrying light sticks. The closer they got the better Angelo and Taranee got a look of them. The group consisted out of 15 cloaked people. Two of the people were bigger than the rest and in front were two smaller people walking, presumably children. The group came to a halt when they were standing right in front of Angelo and Taranee. The two smaller people were standing in front of Angelo and Taranee. The one in front of Angelo lowered her hood. Both Angelo and Taranee gasped when they saw her. The bracelets on their wrist were glowing furiously and they noticed that the girl in front of Angelo had a necklace with the same glowing gem. The girl flipped her long blond hair before she glared at Angelo.

'Cornelia?' Angelo said flabbergasted.

The girl glared even fiercer at him and both he and Taranee saw swirls of silvery magic appearing around her. The other kid grabbed her shoulder. She looked at him and calmed down. Then the other kid lowered his hood. He had red brown hair that grew till his shoulders. He had freckles around his nose and was fairly well built. He too had a necklace with a glowing blue gem.

'Chris?' Taranee said surprised. 'That means that you're Lilian!'

Lilian looked at Taranee. Taranee was silently shuddering as she noticed the scaring resemblance between her and Cornelia. The face, the hair and the look of hatred. Almost exactly the same.

'Who are you?' Chris said as he poked Angelo. 'Why were you staking out near the swimming pool?'

'Ouch! Chris stop that!' he said as Chris poked him hard. 'Don't you recognize us? It's me! Angelo!'

'Come on Lilian! You recognize us! It's me! Taranee!' Taranee pleaded.

'How are we sure that you are who you say you are?' Lilian said.

'And more important.' a gruff voice said.

Lilian and Chris looked at the man that came now from the group. He lowered his hood and both Angelo and Taranee gasped. They saw Tom Lair eyeing them with suspicion. But he looked different from the last time they saw him. He had a scar on his right cheek and a scorching spot on his left.

'Mr. Lair?' Angelo said surprised. 'What happened to you?'

Tom laughed joyless. He then pointed at the scorching spot.

'This?' he said. 'This I got with courtesy of my daughter. She is apparently capable of shooting boiled water at her dear old father. The other scar I got from her dear friend and her cursed vines.'

While Tom spoke both Taranee and Angelo noticed that Lilian and Chris flinched at the mentioning of their sisters.

'But that's not important.' Tom continued. 'Tell us. How are we going to be sure that you are who you say you are?'

'Give us a question!' Taranee said. 'A question only the real us know!'

Tom looked skeptical at Taranee. He knew, that if she was the real Taranee Cook that he could ask her a painful memory. But he didn't know anything of Angelo. He glanced at Lilian. Lilian was also looking skeptical but then shrugged.

'Very well.' she said. 'We'll give one of you a question. If that one answers correctly then we'll know it's you. If not… then Khor and Napoleon will have a midnight snack'

Taranee shivered slightly at the thought of being eaten by Napoleon or Khor. She then nearly had to laugh when an image of the small dormouse Huggles with a leg in its mouth came to mind.

'Fine by me.' Angelo said, interrupting her thoughts.

He then started to squirm with his chains. 'But can someone please let us down? I really don't like hanging around like this!'

Chris had a cocky smile before he turned to the two bigger people.

'Khor, Napoleon. Take them of the wall. But keep a hold on their chains.' he said.

Both Khor and Napoleon jumped at Taranee and Angelo. They pulled the chains out of the wall and let Taranee and Angelo drop to the ground. Both landed on their feet. They looked back and saw that Napoleon and Khor were holding their chains. Angelo crossed his arms.

'I feel like I'm back in the torture cells of Hay-Lin.' he mumbled to himself.

Immediately he got a hit in the stomach. If it wasn't for his transformed state he would have been gasping for air. He looked at a very enraged Chris.

'Do not compare us with that witch.' he said darkly.

'We're off on a good start.' Taranee mused softly, making Angelo smile a bit.

'I like it being chained up and all.' Taranee then said while rattling with her chains. 'But I rather go back to Metamoor, preferably with you lot. So please, the question?'

Tom Lair raised his eyebrow. During his time as a police officer and in hiding he'd seen a lot of different people. Crazy people, scared, psychotic and so on. But he had never seen people who were this calm during an interrogation in enemy territory.

'Okay.' Lilian said.

She looked at the two of them, trying to find a question that only the real Taranee or Angelo knew. Chris glared at Angelo and Taranee, being terribly suspicious and his father had the same look on his face. Both Taranee and Angelo were feeling a bit awkward. They knew they would answer the question correct but the waiting made them nervous. They felt the same as when a teacher would give a pop-quiz. Suddenly Lilian's eyes lit up. She locked eyes with Angelo, making him swallow unconsciously.

'If you're really Angelo, then when did you first meet me and my family?' Lilian asked, knowing that only the real Angelo knew the answer.

Angelo had to laugh. Not that he wanted to but more out of relief. He then smiled at Lilian.

'That's easy.' he said. 'I met you and your family in…'

He stopped mid-sentence. Lilian looked at him with a rather evil smirk, as if she knew that he would answer incorrect. Taranee looked confused at Angelo.

*Why would she ask that?* she thought confused. *We all met Angelo all those years ago.*

Then a thought hit her.

* Unless… Angelo met the Hales before all of this!* she thought surprised.

Angelo then looked down on Lilian, who had an eyebrow raised as she looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow of his own and looked with a thinking expression on his face as he continued.

'When Cornelia was…twelve or thirteen?' he asked with a smirk. 'Cause if you're talking about that business conference in Tokyo…'

Lilian's eyes welled up in tears as she rushed forward and hugged Angelo happily. Angelo smiled softly as he simply returned the hug, knowing that it must have been tough for her and her family and the Lairs all this time. Taranee looked upon them, knowing Lilian was glad to see two old friends. She didn't have enough time to react when she got tackled to the ground. When she looked up she saw Khor sitting on her, happily hugging her. He then transformed to his dormouse form and curled up on Taranee's stomach. Taranee smiled as she grabbed him softly and got up.

'I'm glad to see you too, Huggles.' she said as she caressed the little critter.

Angelo was released by Lilian, only to get hugged by someone else.

'It's really you Angelo!' the female said who hugged him.

'Mrs. Hale?' Angelo asked surprised.

Mrs. Hale looked him in the eyes and nodded. Angelo looked past her and saw that the small group that had gathered had all discarded their cloaks. Angelo recognized more people. Not only did he recognize Mr. Hale and Mrs. Lair but also Will's old swim coach, his old teacher, the principal and a kindergarten teacher. All had smiles on their faces. He glanced at Taranee, who was now busy getting hugged by Mr. Lair and Chris.

'What are you doing here?' Chris asked after the hugs were done.

'We're here on a mission.' Angelo said.

'What kind of mission?' Tom Lair asked interested.

'A retrieval mission.' Taranee said.

'What would you want to retrieve here in Fadden Hills?' Mr. Hale asked.

Angelo and Taranee looked with a grin at each other.

'The Oracle asked us to find you.' they then said.

Immediately everyone backed away. Tom, Chris and several other people had taken their guns and Lilian's hands were shining with magic. The only ones who didn't move were Taranee, Angelo, Huggles and Napoleon.

'So you work for Hay-Lin?' Lilian questioned hurt.

She couldn't believe Angelo and Taranee had been deceiving them. She felt tears coming up but she fought them. She wasn't planning to cry now. She only got annoyed when Angelo and Taranee started laughing.

'So you haven't heard everything?' Angelo said with a smirk.

'What do you mean?' Chris said threateningly.

'We didn't mean Yan-Lin when we spoke of the Oracle.' Taranee explained. 'She doesn't deserve that title.'

'But she is the Oracle!' Anna Lair countered. 'You can't just go and call other people the Oracle! Even though that title is being misused it is still a sacred title.'

'We don't deem her worthy of being the Oracle.' Taranee said as she crossed her arms.

'Besides Will is chosen for it. She didn't call herself the Oracle for fun you know.' Angelo said with a grin.

The Hales and the Lairs looked at Taranee and Angelo as if they were crazy. Napoleon gave an interested purr and Huggles made a satisfied sound.

'Di-Did y-you j-just say…?' Chris stammered.

'Th-That Wi-Will's th-the Oracle?' Lilian finished.

Angelo and Taranee looked at each other, smiling big time.

'It never gets old, does it?' Angelo said with a smirk.

'I hope not! This is way too funny!' Taranee said with a smirk of her own.

'What happened?' Tom said as he put his gun away.

Taranee and Angelo sat on the ground.

'Sit down and we'll tell you.' Angelo said.

Slowly everyone sat down. Angelo and Taranee took turns and started to explain everything that had happened during the "Dark Times". Everyone seemed to know why Will worked for Hay-Lin or how Angelo got exiled, but they were fascinated by the details and more. They were positive at the news of new Guardians, even though Taranee had to explain who the Guardians were and what their purpose is. In the end everyone was even more impressed with the main rebellion than they were before the explanation.

'I always thought that Will would make it big, but I always thought about a swimming career.' Will's old swim coach, Roger Hoggle said impressed

'And you my boy. I always knew you were special.' Mrs. Pebbleton, Angelo's and later on Will's old teacher, said as she ruffled his hair.

'So you're saying that Irma and Cornelia are hypnotized?' Elizabeth Hale said hopeful.

The Hales and Lairs looked at Angelo and Taranee. Both lost their smiles as they nodded.

'Yeah.' Angelo said. 'We were planning on breaking the enthrallment but…When we tried to break Irma's enthrallment…Will intervened and blasted her away… It turned out that Irma's and Cornelia's enthrallment spell was increased… We couldn't save them with the bracelets…'

Elizabeth cried in Harold's shoulder and Anna did the same with Tom. Lilian cried too and when Chris saw it he pulled her close so she could cry in him. Both Angelo and Taranee noticed this but decided to stay quiet for now. They could always tease the new couple another time.

'We'll come with you.' Lilian said with determination.

The adults behind them nodded. Taranee sighed in relief.

'That's good. I don't think I can stand the sadness of Fadden Hills any longer.' she said. 'Angelo?'

Angelo nodded and used his powers to open a fold. But before they went through the fold they could hear a scream from the other end of the fold.

'YOU WILL PAY VANDOM!'

Angelo and Taranee looked concerned at each other before the group rushed through the fold.

_**[A/N] That was the ending of chapter 11! Hope you enjoyed it. Now the Lair family and the Hale family + some others have joined the rebellion. But who yelled? She did yell Vandom…Does this mean Will's still alive? Or is this a curse from Hay-Lin? Who got foiled again by Will's plan… You'll see next chapter! Promise! But don't forget to review!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Caleb looked Hay-Lin in the eyes. Hay-Lin merely smirked at him. His gaze slowly shifted to the ground. More specifically, to Hay-Lin's shadow. He then gazed back at Hay-Lin with a look of anger.

'Is this your idea of having fun?' he questioned angrily as he pointed at her shadow.

The others now looked at the shadow. There were some gasps but also some cries of frustration. They all saw the shadow of a woman with a shoulder length bob cut. Then there was a short silence in which the meaning of the shadow started to dawn. Everyone now looked at Hay-Lin. A glamour ring appeared and slowly Hay-Lin's features disappeared. They were replaced by the features of Will. A small smirk played on her lips. Will gazed at the people around her. The rebels, that had been standing outside of the bubble, had lowered their weapons. Many went back to the work they were doing, only a handful stayed to see what was going to happen. Will then felt a raise in anger. She looked at her friends. The glares of anger were all directed at her. She held her hands up in defense.

'I don't want to fight you.' she said calmly.

'That's a good one.' Mandy countered darkly.

'It was necessary.' Will replied calmly.

'You thought it was necessary to torment us? To hurt our feelings?' Andrew growled.

'I'm afraid so.' Will answered, looking a little sad.

Cassidy looked at Will. Her face was contorted with rage and tears streamed down her cheeks. The two ice blades she held, increased in size.

'YOU WILL PAY VANDOM!' she screamed.

She slashed at Will yet Will dodged. Cassidy kept slashing at Will, her anger clouding her mind. Will kept dodging though this proved to be a challenge when Mandy and Andrew joined in. The three Warriors' rage was big and Will was trying to create a distance, not wanting to use her Oracle powers on her friends. Not that Cassidy, Mandy or Andrew were trying the same thing. They were doing their best to hit and hurt Will wherever they could hit her. But to their great frustration they couldn't hit her. They either missed or their attacks went right through her.

'What's going on?'

Caleb and Alchemy turned their attention to a new group. They were just in time to see a fold disappear. The group was looking around while two people hurried to them.

'Will had herself glamoured as Hay-Lin and she said some nasty things.' Alchemy explained.

'She did what?' Angelo and Taranee said shocked.

Alchemy nodded.

'Yep. She knocked us down with a tornado and then deglamoured… And now Cassidy, Mandy and Andrew are on a rampage. Not that I can blame them.'

'What do you mean?' Taranee asked concerned.

'The nasty things she said were mostly about Matt, Joel or Irma.' Caleb answered.

'Why would she do such a thing?' Angelo asked, not understanding.

Both Caleb and Alchemy shrugged.

'No clue.'

'And why is the rest not trying to murder her?' Angelo asked.

'I think that Will should have had a good reason to pull something like this.' Alchemy said with a shrug.

'I hope she has one or else I start chasing her.' Nerissa answered.

'We're not stupid. She could easily take us down. We'll stay save and see what she has to say.' Natasha answered.

'I'm with my mother on this.' Caleb said.

Angelo slowly nodded.

'I see.'

Taranee on the other hand was getting worried. The attacks that were flung at Will seemed to hit more often and slashes and rips and blood were appearing all over her body. Will was panting like crazy but still had a calm look on her face. Cassidy, Mandy and Andrew were getting tired as well, yet they kept attacking relentlessly. Then it happened. Taranee, Caleb, Alchemy, G.E.N.I.E., Angelo, Nerissa and Joel gasped. Cassidy, Andrew and Mandy were looking with wide eyes at Will's torso. Cassidy had managed to hit Will. In her chest. The sword went right through her and was now stuck in her chest. Will, however, looked rather bored at the sword.

'Feeling any better?'

It was her voice, but Will's mouth hadn't moved. Steps were heard and another Will appeared. This one had wet hair and a towel around her neck. She wore the same clothes as the Will that was penetrated.

'Who…? What…?' Cassidy stammered as she looked back and forth between the killed Will and the one with wet hair.

The others did the same and Will sighed.

'I should congratulate you for killing my Astral Drop.' she said.

At the words "Astral Drop", the drop disappeared. Cassidy's swords fell to the ground and there they slowly started to melt.

'But, considering you did that while slashing blindly and furiously at me, you only proved my point.' Will continued as if nothing had happened.

'Point? What point?' Caleb asked confused.

'You, the leaders and greatest powers in the rebellion, are driven by one emotion.' Will said darkly. 'You say you fight for freedom but you don't.'

'Of course we do!' Taranee said shocked. 'You know that Will!'

Will gave her a wry smile.

'Taranee. You and Joel are the only ones who fight for this cause.' she said. 'The others have a cause that is hidden, yet it surfaces when they see the cause.'

'What do you mean!' Mandy said, very annoyed.

Will looked at her and a glamour ring appeared. This time the ring went from down to up. Will had glamoured herself as Hay-Lin.

'This. Is what I mean.' she said with Hay-Lin's voice.

There was an immediate reaction. Caleb and Nerissa tightened their grips on their swords, Andrew grew a foot, Mandy's wings glowed, Cassidy covered herself in ice, G.E.N.I.E. crackled slightly with their elements and Angelo coated himself with stone. "Hay-Lin" kept watching them with a smirk and it was then that they realized what they were doing. They quickly dispelled their armor or magic and looked shyly at the ground.

'I…I don't understand…' Angelo said as he watched his coating fall off him. 'Why…did I..we do that?'

"Hay-Lin" deglamoured back to Will, who was gazing at them with perfect tranquility. She then started to point at everyone.

'You.' she said as she pointed at Cassidy. 'Lost your lover to Hay-Lin. Even though you have him back, you know that Hay-Lin did things with him that you're not fond off. You also lost a dear friend who has the same powers as you to Hay-Lin.'

Cassidy looked away, a little angry with herself because what Will said was true. There was a monster inside her that would do anything to rip Hay-Lin apart.

'You.' Will continued as she pointed at Andrew. 'Lost your lover and she is still lost. It pains you to see her like this and you have no idea what horrible things Hay-Lin let's her do. The thing I said was something she told me long ago.'

Andrew, who was at his normal size when Will spoke, shrunk even more. Now having the height of a toddler. His face was contorted in anger and sadness.

'You.' Will said as she pointed at Mandy. 'When you finally figured out that you still loved Matt, he was taken away from you. Before you had the chance to tell him. You hate it that Matt is now addicted to drugs and you know that Hay-Lin is to blame.'

Mandy hid herself in her wings, wrapping them around her. Cassidy could hear her cry softly.

'You five.' Will said as she looked at G.E.N.I.E. 'You're lives were taken away from you. It's only natural that you hate the one who did that to you. But know that your anger will not help you.'

G.E.N.I.E. looked down. They felt scolded but they knew Will was right.

'You two.' Will said as she turned to Caleb and Nerissa. 'You lost someone very dear to you, thanks to Hay-Lin. Even though Hay-Lin freed you from your evil, Nerissa, you are not grateful. Because she took maybe your only chance for having a normal live away. And you Caleb, your anger increased even more when I said that I was killed. Though I must say I'm flattered, know that with your blind hatred, you could not win.'

Both Caleb and Nerissa looked at each other. They saw the pain and they knew the truth from Will's words.

'And finally you.' Will said as she turned to Angelo.

Angelo shuffled a bit back when he saw Will's gaze. Will was looking calmly at him but he saw something in her eyes that reminded him of Will's mother whenever she scolded.

'You've seen your family being butchered in front of you.' she started, her eyes softening. 'You've seen your lover and best friend, both in the clutches of Hay-Lin. You've lived a hard life these past years and you want vengeance. Angelo, you will not find satisfaction with hatred.'

Angelo looked down. He wanted to say things, like: "You don't know how it feels." but he knew that would not help.

'Joel, you were enthralled by Hay-Lin and she did…things with you. You may not have forgiven her yet, but you made peace with what she did. That takes a lot of courage and self recognition.' Will continued.

Joel had a weak smile on his face as he went to calm Cassidy.

'Taranee. You know that the Hay-Lin of the past is still there, only lost. You have feelings of hatred for Hay-Lin as well, but you don't let them lead you. This is a sign of great leadership and inner peace. You should be proud of yourself.' Will continued.

Taranee bowed her head. It was weird to hear these words of wisdom from Will, but she knew they were correct.

'And you?'

Will turned to see Natasha looking at her with big eyes.

'How can you stay so calm with Hay-Lin? Knowing what she did to your family and friends?'

'I know, the road to freedom has always been stalked by death.' she said with a heavy voice. 'But despite everything, I keep believing in the inner benignity of the human being. Therefore I have no feelings of anger or hatred towards Hay-Lin.'

With that she turned around and walked away. Everyone looked confused at each other, having trouble with understanding what Will just said. Before anyone could stop her she spoke again.

'Taranee, seeing that you and Angelo have returned I can assume your mission was successful. Can you take the group to my tent? I need to dry my hair.'

Taranee just nodded dumbly, knowing that Will couldn't see her. She then walked away to the group from Fadden Hills.

'Did any of you just get what she said?' Ehren asked confused. 'Because it sounded important but I can't understand it!'

'I…think she said that she didn't feel any hatred.' Georgi said unsure.

'And that we should learn to control ours…' Ilana added.

'Where did she get that wisdom?' Angelo questioned dumbfounded.

Nerissa had to smile. This was apparently the first time that they heard an Oracle speak.

'You know, wisdom is the art of telling the truth by accident.' she said with a smile. 'But I hope you'll get used to it. An Oracle mostly speaks like this and seeing what Will did, we can count on more of these actions. She seems more of the practical kind of person.'

Angelo rubbed his head while Caleb sighed in frustration.

'I sure hope that she'll keep these things to the minimal. Another stunt like that and I'll hang myself.' Caleb muttered darkly.

'But she was right, you know.' Angelo said.

'I know and that's what bothers me.' Caleb replied.

_In Will's tent:_

The group of Fadden Hills were waiting in the tent. They had asked Taranee about the ruckus but Taranee dismissed it, saying that there were some internal problems. They were now waiting for Will to arrive.

'I see that you all managed to stay alive.'

The heads turned to see Will standing in the entrance of her tent. She had a kind smile on her face as she walked to them. She stopped in front of Lilian.

'You really look like Cornelia.' she said.

Lilian, now knowing the truth about her sister, blushed slightly. Before when people said that, she would get angry because she didn't want to look like her traitorous sister. But now she was kind of proud. In a sudden upwelling of emotions she hugged Will. Will heard some gasps.

'Lilian! You don't hug the Oracle!' Elizabeth scolded her daughter.

Will, however, smiled. She hugged Lilian back and smiled at the others.

'I'm not yet a full-fledged Oracle and even when I am, hugs are always appreciated.' she said. 'Besides, I have faint presumption that you all went through a lot.'

She then looked at the two bigger persons.

'Huggles, Napoleon.' she said with a smile as Lilian released her. 'Good to see you.'

Both Huggles and Napoleon transformed to their tinier appearances and jumped at Will. Huggles sat on her shoulder and rubbed his head to Will's while Napoleon jumped in her arms, where Will caressed him.

'It's nice to see you too, doll.' Napoleon purred.

Will motioned that everyone could sit. They either sat down on the floor or on the bed. The chair stayed empty and Will sat in it. Will noticed the tears in the eyes of the people who knew her. Her swim coach, teachers, principal and the Hales and Lairs had all tears rolling across their cheeks, with the exception of Chris, who tried to stop himself from crying.

'The looks on your faces tell me that you are all very happy to see me.' she said calmly.

'I..I can't believe it.' Tom Lair said. 'When Taranee and Angelo told us about your new position…I couldn't believe it. But now…'

Will noticed Tom's scars and looked concerned.

'Mr. Lair, where did you get those scars?' she asked.

'This?' he said. 'This I got from Irma and Cornelia. But it's nothing in comparison! You should see Chris his back or Elizabeth her legs. Taranee told us that Cornelia and Irma are enthralled because they were desperate to save Lilian and Chris from a certain death. And that they think that we're dead. But they've seen us! How can they still think it after seeing us a couple of times?'

Will's eyes widened at this new piece of information. The last time she spoke with Irma she was sure that Irma was convinced that her parents were dead. Yet those scars looked rather old.

'Was, by any chance, Hay-Lin near Irma and Cornelia whenever you encountered them?' Will asked.

Tom Lair looked confused at Will. Why would she ask that? Anna shuffled nervously next to him.

'Yes, but why do you ask?' she said.

Taranee's eyes lit up.

'You don't think that…?' she said.

'Hay-Lin altered their visions or memories. Yeah, I think so.' Will replied darkly.

'You mean that they didn't know they attacked us?' Harold Hale said shocked.

'I'm afraid so.' Will said sadly.

Elizabeth cried out loud and Anna quickly joined her. Both women cried over their daughters' misfortune. The others looked sadly at the two women. Their husbands tried to calm them down. After the sobbing subdued Tom Lair took the word.

'Is it true that you lead a rebellion?' he asked Will.

'No.' Will answered simply. 'I joined the rebellion, but I'm no leader. Taranee and Caleb have that honor.'

'Are you planning on taking Hay-Lin down once and for all?' Chris asked.

Will and Taranee looked at each other.

'We plan on retaking Kandrakar. But it's pretty obvious that Hay-Lin will fight us for it.' Taranee said. 'But once Will is instated as Oracle, Hay-Lin's tyranny will end.'

'I see.' Tom said as he nodded. 'Then we will help you. Right?'

Everyone agreed and nodded. It was not that they could do anything else, seeing that Hay-Lin was looking for them.

'If that's the case.' Will said. 'Then I'm afraid that Lilian has to make a change in her Regents.'

'What do you mean?' Lilian asked confused.

Will smiled sadly at Lilian. Napoleon jumped of her lap and went to Lilian. Will took Huggles from her shoulder and caressed it.

'You see princess.' Napoleon said. 'Huggles is extremely old for a dormouse.'

'And I think that you can give him at least the chance to choose his worthy successor.' Will ended.

'You mean that Huggles will die?' Lilian asked distraught.

'I'm afraid so, princess.' Napoleon said. 'He's old and he doesn't want to fight his master.'

Lilian looked with tearful eyes at Huggles. Huggles made a sound that sounded like he was coughing. He then looked up at Lilian and saw her tears. He moved quite fluently to her shoulder and rubbed his small cheek to Lilian's.

'But he looks so healthy.' she said as she looked at him.

'That's thanks to the magic you gave him.' Will explained. 'But I'm afraid that even magic can't let him live forever. And I hope you can understand that he doesn't want to fight Matt. Matt means too much for him.'

Lilian looked at the ground.

'I understand.' she said.

Will smiled at her as she caressed Lilian's hair.

'Lilian, are you prepared to see Huggles give his power to your new Regent?' she asked.

Lilian looked at Will with determination.

'I am. I trust Huggles.'

'Huggles. It's your call now.' Will said.

Huggles jumped off Lilian's shoulder and walked to someone else. Chris' eyes widened as Huggles transformed into his Regent form in front of him. He then placed his paw forward and stared at Chris. Chris looked confused at Huggles.

'I think he wants you to do the same, honey.' Anna Lair said surprised.

Chris looked surprised at Huggles.

'Me?' he asked. 'Why me? Why not dad?' he asked.

Huggles looked at Will and Will nodded. Huggles then growled something to Chris.

'Let me translate.' Will said. 'He says that he only trusts you to protect the Heart of Earth.'

Huggles growled again.

'Because he has seen what you would do to save someone you love.' Will said with a smile. 'Well well? You two are boyfriend girlfriend material already?'

At this both Chris and Lilian blushed deeply while the parents smiled.

'It…It's not…Not like that…' Lilian stammered.

'What she said.' Chris said with a very red head.

'That's what everyone says.' Taranee said with a smug smile.

Her eyes quickly glanced at Will and Will gave her a subtle warning, making Taranee smile even more.

'But anyway Chris.' Will said. 'Do you accept the job as Regent of Earth and all of its responsibilities?'

Chris gulped and looked at Huggles. Huggles looked determined at him. Chris found courage in his eyes and placed his hand on Huggles his claw. Huggles started to glow in greenish white light and slowly that glow transferred to Chris. Huggles started to shrink while Chris became bigger. Slowly the glow of Huggles faded away. Huggles had shrunk back to his dormouse form and was now laying weakly on the ground. His fur was brilliantly white and his eyes were dull. He looked up at his successor. The others now shifted their gaze at Chris. Chris had grown a lot, giving him approximately the same height as Khor once had. He wore the same mask as Shagon, but his mask was blue. His red/brown hair was now curling around his ears and above his mask. He had a pair of dark blue wings and wore Khor's old outfit, with the old sign of the Knights of Destruction still on the belt. He also seemed to have the same build as Shagon as well as the tail. Lilian couldn't take her eyes off Chris his new form. His father and mother were looking at him in awe and the others were looking surprised and impressed.

'What?' Chris said.

He must have noticed that his voice sounded heavier and, to the women, sexier. He grabbed his throat.

'What's wrong with my voice?' he asked.

He then noticed the mirror. He could have sworn there was no mirror in the tent before. He glanced quickly at Will, who smiled at him and motioned him to look in the mirror. He went to the mirror and looked at his reflection.

'Wow!' he said impressed. 'Awesome.'

He flexed his muscles in front of the mirror, making Will and Taranee snicker at his antics and Lilian swoon.

'Chris, cut that out.' Anna Lair said a bit embarrassed.

His father merely laughed at his son. Chris then turned around to check his back and swept his tail. He then walked to Huggles and took him in his arms. Lilian walked up to him and stroke his fur.

'Huggles, thank you for everything.' she said in between sobs.

Chris laid a hand on Lilian's shoulder and she smiled sadly at him. Everyone saw that Huggles had died in Chris his arms. There was a silence in which Lilian's sobs were heard. Then the cat spoke up.

'So…anyone gonna eat him?' Napoleon asked innocently.

Immediately glares from every direction were directed to him. He winced from the glares.

'What?' he said as he started to lick his fur to evade the glares. 'I bet that he would have wanted to go that way.'

'By being digested by you?' Taranee snarled. 'Forget it.'

'We'll bury him outside.' Lilian said. 'And you're not coming with me.'

'Aw, doll.' Napoleon begged. 'It was just a joke. To lighten the mood!'

Lilian didn't seem convinced and turned to Chris.

'Chris, do you want to come with me? Someone has to watch over me.' she said sweetly.

Chris bowed for Lilian, making Lilian blush, and then took her hand.

'Of course I'll come.' he said.

The two walked out of the tent while the adults looked after them. Napoleon tried to sneak out with them but Will had seen him and she'd grabbed him. She held him firm in her arms as he tried to get away from her.

'Come one doll!' he begged. 'It's nature! You're the Oracle, you should respect nature!'

Will smiled at him as she stroke his back.

'I respect nature but I respect someone's wishes as well. Besides, I don't think that anyone would bare it to see you eat Huggles. It would be kinda gross.' she said.

'I guess.' Napoleon said as he slumped in her arms.

Will turned to the people in her tent.

'I think Caleb, Angelo and Alchemy have put up some tents for you. You can check them out. Taranee will give you any details you wish to know.'

The group got up and slowly walked out of the tent.

'It's good to see you again, froggy.' her old swim coach said as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

'I'm glad you're okay.' her old principal said.

Will smiled at them and then noticed a small group waiting. She looked at them and saw that the Hales and Lairs where still behind.

'Are you sure we can get Cornelia back?' Harold asked.

'And Irma.' Anna added.

Will smiled at them.

'Now with you guys here, it will only be a matter of time.' she said with a smile.

They all smiled back at her and slowly went away. Will looked at them as she absentmindedly stroked Napoleon.

'Napoleon. I can trust you that you'll train Christopher?' she said.

Napoleon stretched out and went to lay better in her arms.

'Of course. You can count on me.' he said.

Will kept stroking him absentmindedly as she looked through the rebel base. A feeling of uneasiness was settling in her mind and she knew that it wouldn't be long before the biggest battle Kandrakar had ever known since the fourth Oracle.

'Something on your mind, doll?' Napoleon asked sleepily.

'Yeah. I can't wait to sit in the Golden and eat a burger with the girls.' she said with a smile.

'We'll see what will happen.' Napoleon said before drifting off in his cat nap.

'Yeah…' Will said. 'We'll see.'

_**[A/N] Sorry that it took so long! It was just, Lexvan gave me an awesome idea for a coming chapter and I was completely occupied by it. Also I've finally put my self-drawn Will picture on my computer and on Deviant. You can look it up. Just search my name on Deviant and you'll find it…I'm thinking of coloring it as well…**_

_**Anyway, Will did the whole "Hay-Lin glamour trick" to show our heroes that they've got some anger problems and that they need to control it. Huggles is dead, but no worries. Chris will be a good replacement… I hope.**_

_**O yeah! The Golden is a hamburger place where the girls went to celebrate the endings of their missions and stuff. I think it's only mentioned in the comics but I thought it was appropriate. Maybe Hay-Lin will join them…Don't think so but still…Happy thoughts.**_

_**Don't forget to review! I really like to read them!**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

She was tossing in her sleep. There she was, fighting Irma, Cornelia and Taranee. She was winning, or at least she thought she was. Suddenly a bright white light appeared from behind her. She turned around to see a woman standing in a white robe. Although the white robe looked more like a karate kimono. A green broad belt decorated her stomach. She squinted her eyes. The woman's hair had a very annoying color. Red. Red as blood. Suddenly she felt as if she fell through the floor. She kept falling and falling. Darkness swallowed her.

'NOOOO!'

Hay-Lin shot up and panted heavily. She looked around and saw that the sun was already up. She held her heart and searched for the Heart of Zamballa.

'It was just a dream.' she told herself. 'Just a dream.'

*But it seemed so real…* a voice in her head said.*It felt the same as when I predicted what would happen to Elyon at her coronation.*

She shook her head.

'No, this was no prediction. I was myself. Not some other person.' she argued.

*Then why do you keep thinking about it?* the voice replied slyly. * Afraid?*

'I am not afraid!' Hay-Lin said firmly. 'I will defeat the rebellion and I will have Will laying at my feet, begging for mercy.'

With that she got out of her bed. She slipped into her bathrobe and her fuzzy slippers. She pulled a robe and immediately several maids appeared.

'I wish to take a bath.' she said.

The maids bowed and quickly went away. She slowly made her way to her bathroom. In the middle of the room was a big bathtub standing, big enough for twenty people. The maids had filled the tub with hot water and soap. Bubbles were floating above the surface. When the maids noticed that Hay-Lin was in the room they quickly went to her side. They took her bathrobe and then undid her of her nightgown. Hay-Lin stepped into her bath and closed her eyes, trying to erase the memories of the dream.

'I can't have any distraction today. I found a planet that will most likely help me. And with their Heart I can take Arkhanta.' she muttered.

She then snapped her fingers. Immediately the maids unfurled Hay-Lin's long hair. She could feel that her maids were brushing her hair. She relaxed in the water and slowly dozed off.

'This will be the end!' Irma yelled at her.

'You can't win!' Taranee said.

'The end? I still have more power than the three of you combined! The Guardians are knock out and it is you who should be scared!' she said.

At that moment a bright white light appeared from behind. Her eyes widened as she saw the familiar figure of Will coming from the Great Halls. She smiled sadly at Hay-Lin before she raised her hands. Again the feeling of falling came over her as she again fell in a bottomless pit. Again was she swallowed by darkness.

Her eyes shot open and she noticed that she was looking up at her ceiling. The maids were done brushing her hair and were patiently waiting for her next command. She got up and snapped her fingers again. The maids quickly came with a lot of towels. Hay-Lin got out of the bath and the maids started to dry her. She used a bit of her magic to dry her hair. The maids then helped her back in her bathrobe and Hay-Lin dismissed them. She then walked to her room. There she went to a pair of big doors. She opened them and walked into a room big enough to hide an elephant. There were clothes that hang on both sides and shoes in boxes. Hay-Lin walked past her wardrobe and smiled as she sought for the clothes to wear.

*And to think that I used to design my own clothes.* she thought with disgust. *How pathetic.*

She picked a silken, black Chinese dress. A silver dragon was drawn on it on the left side of her dress. The small sign of air was placed on her color with silvery thread. The dress was cut open on the left and right to give her enough space to move. She also picked a pair of black shoes with heels. She walked out of her wardrobe and snapped her fingers. Immediately two maids appeared. She went to sit in front of her mirror while her two maids did her make-up and hair. Hay-Lin watched herself in the mirror and saw that her maids put her hair up in a neat yet loose bun. Some strands of hair hang past her cheeks. She smiled as she saw her mirror image. She was perfect and there was no way she could lose.

She got up, took the Heart of Zamballa and walked to her dining room. There were Cornelia and Irma already sitting. Both were looking aimlessly at each other, as if they couldn't see the other. In front of them were trays with some toast and eggs. Hay-Lin sat at the head of the table and looked at the two of them.

'You may eat.' she said.

The two of them slowly started eating. Hay-Lin also ate slowly and looked at the two with suspicion. In her dream it was obvious that Cornelia and Irma were fighting against her, but there was no way to break the enthrallment spell she'd put on them. She smiled at her own silliness. How stupid of her to think that the dream was a premonition. Once she was done with eating she rang a little bell that was standing next to her on the table. Immediately several maids appeared and started to clean the table.

'Cornelia, what are my plans for today?' Hay-Lin asked.

Cornelia looked at her with zombie like eyes, an improvement for Hay-Lin. She never liked the determination, authority and nobility her eyes showed.

'The newly made drugs are coming in at Heatherfield Bay at half past 9. You want to be there and watch over the shipment.' she said in her zombie tone.

Hay-Lin silently grumbled. When the rebels had moved to Meridian it was temporarily quiet. Her drugs import was going steadily without any interference of the rebels. But then, a month after the rebellion went to Meridian, new rebels appeared. These new rebels seemed to be spread around the world. Constantly foiling either her shipments of drugs and weapons or capturing or killing her assassination members. But that her shipments were foiled annoyed her the most. That's why she wanted to watch over this shipment.

'You want to speak with Phobos, Cedric and Miranda around 11 o'clock.' she said unaware of Hay-Lin's inner turmoil, and even if she was she couldn't stop.

A small smirk appeared on Hay-Lin's face. If there was one thing she had been waiting for then was it this. She couldn't wait. She was toying with the idea for months, but since Will had joined the rebellion 3 months ago and now with the recent…developments she was determined.

'And then you have an appointment in Dreadmore with the chief of the Shadowaxe tribe at 3 o'clock.' Cornelia continued.

'Was that all?' Hay-Lin questioned.

'Yes, mistress.'

Hay-Lin smiled. That meant she had an hour before she would add another powerhouse to her army.

'You two are dismissed.' she said. 'Be in my office at exact 11 o'clock. Go get some sleep or whatever.'

Cornelia and Irma got up from their seats, bowed for Hay-Lin, and then teletransported away. Hay-Lin got up from her own chair and walked to the doors. She looked at the big grandfather clock next to it and saw that it was half past 8. She smiled. She could take her limo to get to the docks. She didn't need to waste her magic for something as trivial as transport.

She took her limo and arrived at the spot. Her henchmen saw her and bowed down for her, as they should.

'Where is the shipment?' she asked in her usual cold tone.

A smirk crept over her face as she saw the men in front of her shiver. These men knew what fear was and they knew that she was the embodiment of that feeling.

'Ma'am.'

Her gaze turned to a fairly built dockworker. The man was shivering as his dark brown eyes looked down.

'The shipment will arrive shortly. I ask you for your patience.' he said with a quivering voice.

Hay-Lin nodded at him and went to stand on the docks. She looked at the waves that clashed with the docks. She absently started to remember the old days. Of how she and Irma often played here and how they loved this place. Irma for the waves and Hay-Lin for the wind that was now blowing past her. She had the feeling that the wind was making her remember the old days. She easily pushed those thoughts away as she stared at the horizon. Those days were over. Dead and buried. Just like her parents… Again she shook her head. Now was not the time to be sentimental. She saw a small dot appear on the horizon. She smiled. That had to be her ship. She motioned with the Heart of Zamballa.

'Air.' she spoke softly.

The winds around her started to strengthen. She could see that the ship was moving quicker towards her. She moved her hands again and the wind started to blow from the other side. The ship slowed down and slowly made it to the docks. She saw the seamen on the deck looking a bit green and scared.

*They apparently aren't used to tough winds.* she mused.

The seamen seemed to notice Hay-Lin. One of them sprinted away and shortly after that the captain appeared.

'Miss Lin!' he said from the deck. 'It's an honor to have yeh here!'

Hay-Lin silently snarled at the seaman's language and accent. It was again a reminder to the past Irma. She smiled sweetly at the man.

'Captain.' she said. 'I trust everything went according to plan?'

'Aye, M'lady!' he said. 'Yeh can check it yourselves.'

Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow and nodded. With the use of her magic she jumped aboard. The men who were still on the deck bowed immediately. The feeling of power rushed through her. It was nice. She looked around and saw a total of six men, seven if she counted the captain.

'Captain, this can't hardly be your crew.' Hay-Lin said with a raised eyebrow.

The captain, who had been bowing, glanced quickly around.

'No, M'lady.' he said. 'The rest be in the hold o' the furner. Securing the shipment.'

Hay-Lin smiled and looked at the captain.

'Well then captain.' she said. 'Bring me to the hold.'

The captain bowed again.

'As yeh wish, M'lady.'

He then walked towards a door on the deck. Hay-Lin followed him. As he opened the door of hold two gunshots were heard. The captain ducked and immediately two sets of hands came from the door, grabbing him.

'Oi!' he yelled.

Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow and slowly walked into the room. She saw a lot of bodies, presumably the bodies of the sailors and a lot of people standing in the hold, approximately twenty. One of them was holding the captain.

'There's another one!' she heard someone yell.

She saw someone pointing his gun at her and she smirked. She couldn't help but laugh at the silly toys humans had to use to threaten someone. She twirled in her place and a small tornado appeared around her. She heard the satisfying "thumps", knowing that the attackers were swung against the wall. She stopped and looked through the hold. Her crates were laying everywhere, but she wasn't interested in them. She looked at the men that were nursing their heads as they tried to get a look of their attacker. The captain was staring at her in great awe and fear.

'That's right, Marcus.' she heard. 'Hay-Lin found us.'

She looked at the man who was talking. He had a dark skin color and his black hair was done in corn rolls. He wore a simple shirt and shorts and he was holding a cell phone. She waved the Heart of Zamballa and the cell phone transformed into a rat. The man let go of the rat in shock and she saw that he was staring at him in fear, but also with defiance. She waved the Heart of Zamballa again and every man got tied up with chains that appeared out of nowhere. The only ones who weren't tied were the man who had been holding the cell phone, Hay-Lin and the captain. Hay-Lin turned to the captain.

'I thought you said that everything went according to plan?' she sneered coldly.

She noticed that the man was slightly shivering and that the captain was actually wetting his pants.

*Men.* she thought with obvious dislike. *Worthless creations. The only thing they're good in is sex and not even all of them are sex worthy.*

'I-I-I swear! I-I-I-I did-didn't kn-know!' he stammered in fear as he bowed down on his knees for her.

'And I-I-I-I swear that I won't have trouble doing this.' Hay-Lin said in a mock voice.

She held her hand as a gun, pointing at the crouching captain in front of her. He looked at her with pleading eyes, fear evident in his eyes. She smiled at him darkly.

'Air.' she said.

A sudden pressure of air shot from her finger and went right through his head. The captain fell dead to the ground, the pleading look still on his face. Hay-Lin touched the side of his head. She saw the pleading look and pushed the body away from her. Her gaze shifted to the only other free person in the room. The African-American man had a look of horror and shock on his face, but when he noticed that Hay-Lin was looking at him he quickly changed that look to the same defiance she had seen in the beginning.

'He was your henchman!' one of the chained man said in shock. 'And you killed him!'

'Why would you care?' she replied coldly. 'You've killed these seamen here so I don't see your problem.'

'But he was your henchman.' the man said softly, still shocked.

'And he can be replaced.' Hay-Lin said coldly. 'And now I would shut up if I were you. You're going to be tortured anyway but don't try to make it worse.'

The man paled and shut up. Hay-Lin's gaze went back to the African-American. He still looked at her with a look of defiance, which was starting to annoy her. A sudden idea popped into her mind.

'Are you, by any chance, a Vanders?' Hay-Lin asked curious. 'I recognize that cocky attitude anywhere. I think I've even met you before… What's your name?'

The man spat at the ground in front of her and glared at her.

'Of course we met before!' he said annoyed. 'Years back, a year when Angelo had moved to Heatherfield, me and my brother came to visit him and little Will. And there we met you and the other Guardians.'

'Ah yes!' Hay-Lin said lightly. 'I remember. You are one of the two annoying cousins right? The ones that were hitting on Irma. Malcolm, am I right?'

Malcolm glared at her but said nothing. Hay-Lin wasn't bothered by it.

'You're not very talkative.' she said. 'But don't worry, my torture rooms can help you overcome that.'

'We won't say anything!' Malcolm spat at her.

Hay-Lin laughed softly.

'Don't worry, they are just coming for my own fun. You see, I've got some time to spare today. But you are coming for information.'

'You will not get any information from me.' Malcolm said.

'Oh, but I will. And if you really prove to be a challenge I'll ask my grandmother to search your family. According to her you've got a lovely wife and two kids, right? It would be a shame if something happened to them.' Hay-Lin said while a smirk crept over her face.

Malcolm's face paled.

'You wouldn't.' he said.

'I would.' Hay-Lin replied.

Malcolm jumped at Hay-Lin, trying to knock her out. Hay-Lin saw him coming and dodged him. Immediately after that she shot a blast of air at him, knocking him to the wall. Malcolm fell knock out on the floor.

'Too bad that this rebellion is just a minor inconvenience.' she said. 'I'm not going to ask my grandmother to sniff out a pair of rats. They'll drown eventually.'

The chained men looked at their leader, fear in their eyes. Hay-Lin cleared her throat.

'Men!' she yelled.

Immediately ten sailors appeared behind her. They looked in great shock and surprise at the hold. They saw their captain laying dead on the ground. No-one dared to ask what had happened.

'Your captain and I have run in a minor problem. These rebels killed him before I had the chance to stop them.' Hay-Lin explained coldly.

'Liar!' one of the chained men yelled.

Hay-Lin glared at him and the man felt that his courage was failing him. He stayed quiet as Hay-Lin continued.

'Make sure my shipment arrives at my storage. Olsen will keep me posted, so I expect that you'll hurry.' Hay-Lin continued.

'Yes, Milady.' one of the sailors said.

The sailors immediately started with moving the crates, trying to ignore the chained people or their dead captain. Hay-Lin turned to her prisoners and waved the Heart of Zamballa. They teletransported away. When they arrived at her manor Hay-Lin whistled. Drake, Aldarn and Kurt showed up.

'Take these dogs to the cells. You can tell Uriah he can torture them as much as he likes, but they have to stay alive.' Hay-Lin said as she handed the chains to Drake.

Drake bowed his head and pulled the chains. But the rebels that were chained weren't planning on getting tortured. They all pulled at the same time and tried to make a break for it. Drake, Aldarn and Kurt ran after them but it seemed that the rebels were quicker. They were almost at the door when they suddenly felt someone tucking their chains. With considerable strength. The men looked behind, wondering how three men would be capable to stop twenty running men. Their face paled when they saw that not three, but one person stopped them. That one person was holding the chain with one hand. That hand was attached to a heavily muscled arm, which was attached to a heavily muscled torso. In fact, the guy was only muscle. He was huge for a normal human. He wasn't wearing any shirt, not that that would be possible with his size and he wore shorts. He also was walking on his bare feet. One of the few thoughts that popped into the rebels' heads was "The Hulk without the green skin color" but most started to scream. Hay-Lin waved the Heart of Zamballa and the screams died away. The men were still screaming and some fainted, but no sound was heard. Aldarn, Drake and Kurt took the chains from the muscled man and started to lead the men away, who weren't protesting because of the fear they were feeling for the human Hulk. Hay-Lin walked to the giant and twirled circles on his broad torso.

'How nice of you to drop by, Eric.' she said softly and almost lovingly.

Eric looked at Hay-Lin and softly caressed her face.

'I missed you.' he said.

Hay-Lin smiled. Granted this was due her enthrallment spell on him, it was still nice to hear it. She twirled some more circles on his chest as she looked up.

'Don't worry. Mommy has to handle some business but then we can have another "adventure".' she said seducing.

She then motioned him to come closer. She kissed him on his mouth and he kissed her back. It was a strong kiss, and even though there was no love in it, Hay-Lin enjoyed it immensely. She then let go of him and motioned to the unconscious Malcolm.

'Eric, please be a dear and lock him up. Tell Uriah that he comes to my office before he starts torturing our guests.' she told him.

Eric bowed for Hay-Lin and then grabbed Malcolm roughly. He hoisted him over a shoulder and brought him to the dungeons. Hay-Lin looked at her watch.

'10:50 A.M. huh?' she said with a smile. 'Those rebels were taking too long. Oh well. I'm perfectly on time.'

She walked lazily to her office. Just when she sat down a knock was heard.

'Come in.' she said.

The door swung open and Uriah stepped through. He was now standing in front of her desk.

'What's this, miss Lin?' he asked annoyed. 'Why do you want to hold me from my toys? Those F.B.I. agents are nearly dead and there's no fun with them anymore.'

Hay-Lin smiled at Uriah. When she first employed him the guy was a wuss. Trembling wherever he went and wetting his pants whenever he looked at her. So she used a bit of magic to modify him. She took away his conscience and fear. The guy didn't fear anyone now, but then there was a problem. He only listened to her because he feared her, so she enthralled him a bit. He could think freely most of the time, but thought of deserting or betraying her would never enter his mind. And he would, of course, listen to her every whim.

'My dear Uriah.' she said. 'I need to tell you that there is one person you are not allowed to torture. This person is in one of the cells in the dungeon. You can recognize him by his hair . It's done in corn rolls.'

'And why not if I may be so free to ask.' Uriah said, his tone respectful though a bit disappointed.

'Because I want to do that myself.' Hay-Lin said.

A smirk grew over Uriah's face. Ever since Hay-Lin removed his conscience and fear he enjoyed torturing. It was the thing that made him feel alive. And he loved it to see Hay-Lin at work. If they said that he was cruel than she would outdo him in every way. He bowed for her.

'As you wish.' he said.

'Good.' Hay-Lin said.

At that moment Cornelia and Irma appeared with the usual teletransporting sound. Uriah wasn't surprised by the sudden entrance. He stared blankly at Hay-Lin.

'You can go Uriah.' Hay-Lin said as she waved him away.

Uriah bowed another time and then went away. Hay-Lin looked at Cornelia and Irma. Both were looking straight forward and were waiting for her command. Hay-Lin got up and waved the Heart of Zamballa. A fold appeared and she went through it, closely followed by Cornelia and Irma. Once through the fold they saw that Elyon was waiting for them.

'Are they in their places?' Hay-Lin asked.

Elyon nodded and walked away. Hay-Lin, Irma and Cornelia followed her. They walked through the castle until they were outside. There they went right and went through a path in the Royal Gardens. Elyon stopped in front of what seemed a wall, thus a death end. There she waved her hand and a secret door opened. Torches automatically lit on both walls and Hay-Lin saw that there was a staircase going down. She followed Elyon who was now going down. After a lot of stairs they arrived in a corridor. In the walls were little openings, which you could count as windows. Elyon went right and Hay-Lin followed her. Hay-Lin looked through the small windows and she could see a huge arena, similar to the ones Romans used to use. In the arena were three Quintessence cages. A smile crept again on her face. Life of a villain was fun and she knew it. Elyon went right and they came onto a balcony. From the balcony Hay-Lin had a great look on the stadium. She looked down on the three people.

'I'm telling you, you're nothing but a whiney bitch, Phobos!'

'Cedric, watch your tongue! I am still your superior!' Phobos countered.

'A superior who got his ass whooped by six teenage girls!' Miranda countered.

'Well you got beaten by a walking beach and Cedric, if I may remember you of your greatest failure. You lost from five girls, while you were powered by my powers, the Heart of Zamballa and Meridian, the powers of five Guardians and your own! Now that's pathetic!' Phobos countered.

Before Cedric could hurl a retort he heard a laugh. A cold and high laughter that made even him shiver. He noticed that Phobos and Miranda shivered as well and he quickly searched for the source. His eyes opened in surprise when her saw who was laughing.

'You?' Phobos questioned shocked.

'Yes. Me.' Hay-Lin said with a big smile.

_At the rebel camp_

'What? And you're telling me that only now because…?' Martin yelled in his ear communicator. 'YOU WERE SLEEPING? THIS IS IMPORTANT NEWS! HOW COULD YOU FALL ASLEEP BEFORE TELLING ME? NO I DON'T WANT YOUR APOLOGIES! JUST WAIT UNTIL CALEB HEARD THIS!'

He then angrily took his ear communicator of and threw it angrily at his desk. Alchemy came from behind him.

'Something wrong?' she asked concerned.

'A lot.' Martin answered. 'Do you know where I can find Taranee or Caleb?'

'There both talking to Will, considering her glamour trick.' Alchemy answered with a frown.

'Okay.' Martin said as he got up.

He stalked away and Alchemy quickly followed him, curious about the bad news. They found Will, Taranee and Caleb in front of Caleb's tent. Will had her arms crossed and looked annoyed while Caleb was still looking angry at her and Taranee tried to smooth things.

'I'm telling you that what you did was wrong! Just plainly wrong! Couldn't you just tell us?' Caleb said angrily.

Will shrugged.

'I know you guys from experience and I know that words aren't enough. So what if I was a bit hard? You do get the point now. It was necessary.'

'Why you…' Caleb said as he moved closer to Will.

Taranee intervened.

'Come on Caleb.' she said. 'Don't do things you'll regret.' she said.

'I already regret some things Taranee. It's too late for that.' Caleb said to her.

But before he could say more Martin intervened.

'As much as I love to see you to quarrel we've got more important things to worry about.' he said, gaining the attention of the two rebel leaders and the Oracle.

'And that is?' Caleb asked, not interested.

'I've received news from the Infinite Prison.' Martin said darkly. 'Elyon moved three prisoners yesterday.'

Taranee, Caleb and Will paled by this news.

'Why would she do that?' Taranee asked surprised.

'I don't know.' Martin answered grimly.

Will noticed Martin's mood and a bad feeling was overtaking her.

'Martin, who did she take from that prison?' she asked.

'Phobos, Miranda and Cedric.' Martin answered.

Caleb, Taranee and Will looked at each other in shock.

'It seems that things have just gone from bad to worse.' Will said darkly.

_**[A/N] That was this chapter! Now for more info: I haven't been very consistent with the timeline. Will joined the rebellion three months ago… Anyway. This chapter is happening on the same day as Will pulled the trick with her glamour as Hay-Lin. Now you people know what has happened to poor Eric…and Bess… Scary, believe me. But I wanted you to get a look into Hay-Lin's life and thoughts. Twisted but she's still haunted by the past. And what was so terrible that made her like this? I know. :P **_

_**And yes, Malcolm and Marcus are also OC's from Lexvan but you don't have to read any background story on them. They are just his cousins. Who are busy rebelling against Hay-Hey…**_

_**Anyway, review!**_

_**PS. Yes. Hay-Lin wore the same dress as Will wore during Julian's funeral, although her dragon is silver and she has the symbol of Air on it. Will got the dress to: A) show that she worked for Hay-Lin and B) To wear during missions where she had to assassinate people during a ball.**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Hay-Lin looked down and saw Cedric, Miranda and Phobos looking at her in shock and surprise. A sneer appeared on Cedric's face.

'What do you want Guardian?' he sneered. 'Don't you have some planet to ssssave?'

'Funny.' Hay-Lin said coldly. 'I would almost laugh.'

She then teletransported into the arena, with Elyon, Irma and Cornelia right behind her. Phobos raised an eyebrow.

'Well, well. What's this?' he said. 'You're holding the Heart of Zamballa. I don't think the Oracle allowed that. And where is the Keeper?'

'You're quite curious, you know that?' Hay-Lin told him.

'When you're locked up for so long you tend to be that.' Phobos countered. 'Now answer me Guardian.'

Hay-Lin made a mock bow, enraging Phobos.

'As you wish, your majesty.' she said with sarcasm.

She saw his anger and she waved with the Heart of Zamballa. Nothing happened but she saw that Cedric's, Miranda's and Phobos' eyes were following every movement of it.

'You see. I took control in my own hands.' Hay-Lin explained. 'After Will foolishly gave up the Heart of Kandrakar I found a way to Kandrakar. There I reclaimed my powers and slaughtered everyone. My grandmother holds now the place of Oracle.'

'Imposssssible.' Cedric breathed.

Phobos looked quite impressed at Hay-Lin.

'Never thought you had it in you.' he praised. 'I always thought that either the Keeper or the Earth Guardian would do that.'

Hay-Lin laughed shortly.

'Them? They don't have to power to do that. Corny and Irma are both under my control. Just like your dear sister.' she then said. 'Do you see it Phobos? The one who not only kicked your ass, but also Cedric's. The one who once fought for good, has now control of Earth, Meridian, Zamballa and Kandrakar. Isn't that what you always wanted?'

Phobos glared at her. His magic twirled around him but he couldn't use it. The bars would repel the attack. How dared this creature to mock him like this? Then a thought came to mind. A smirk played on his lips.

'Yet I don't see the Keeper nor the Fire Guardian.' he said. 'So my guesses are that they are working against you. And you're afraid of them.'

Hay-Lin's eyes flashed briefly with anger. Wind blew from her and slammed Phobos, Miranda and Cedric against their bars, shocking them slightly.

'I am NOT afraid of anybody!' she hissed at him.

Phobos felt a slight fear grow in him but he couldn't help but smirk victorious.

'Then enlighten us.' he said with a mock bow. 'What do you want from us?'

Hay-Lin's smile returned as she turned around and walked a bit away from him.

'You see. You were right about one thing. Will and Taranee are both working against me. And you see, to destroy them completely I need a little bit more power.'

'Ssso you want usss three to work for you?' Cedric figured out.

Hay-Lin turned to them, sending a slight shiver up their spines with her devilish smile.

'All three of you? Goodness, no.' she said. 'Just one.'

'Then why are the three of us here when you just want one?' Miranda asked confused.

'You see…You three weren't exactly a big threat in comparison to what came after you.' Hay-Lin explained. 'So I only want the strongest of you. That's why you will fight each other. The survivor will work for me.'

'Ha!' Phobos laughed joyless. 'Why do you think any of us would work for you?'

'Why?' Hay-Lin asked sweetly, maybe scaring Phobos more than when she smiled. 'Because, not only will I grant you more power but also when I've finally killed Will and Taranee you will get Meridian to rule and some other planet you like.'

This peeked their interest. The only problem was that they had to obey Hay-Lin. Not only had she mocked them in the past with the aid of the Water Guardian but she was now mocking them with all the power she managed to get. The power they wanted. Phobos grinned as a plan came to mind.

'As you wish.' he said. 'I will dispose of these two and you will grant me power and my birthright.'

Hay-Lin nodded before she looked at the other two. Miranda and Cedric saw that Phobos had a plan and they noticed his hand signals. The special hand signals that Phobos taught them to attack quietly. They grinned as well before looking at Hay-Lin.

'Asss you wish.' Cedric said.

'Okay.' Miranda simply said.

Hay-Lin smiled before teletransporting to the balcony. Irma, Cornelia and Elyon quickly followed. She then waved the Heart of Zamballa and the cages of Quintessence disappeared. But before she could sit, Phobos, Cedric and Miranda took action. Phobos flew up while Cedric and Miranda transformed. Cedric then grabbed Miranda. Miranda used some of her web to stick to his hand while he threw her at Hay-Lin. She then pulled Cedric to the balcony.

'You silly girl.' Phobos said triumphant. 'Did you really think that any of us would join you?'

He charged his magic. Then he shot a gigantic ball of magic at Hay-Lin while Miranda shot her web at her and Cedric punched. A big explosion appeared and a lot of smoke covered the balcony. A laughter was heard. Phobos, Cedric and Miranda looked at the balcony as the smoke slowly disappeared. They saw that Hay-Lin was standing in a bubble, raised by Elyon. A broken stone wall was standing in front of her, undoubtedly raised by Cornelia and Miranda's web was frozen.

'Are you kidding me?' Hay-Lin questioned as she looked at the shocked faces of Phobos, Cedric and Miranda. 'You really didn't think that I would fall for such a pathetic plan?'

She then snapped her fingers and Cornelia and Irma walked forward. Cornelia placed her hand on the floor and a stone pin shut out of the floor, knocking Cedric and Miranda from the balcony. Irma shot a scalding blast of hot water at Phobos, who countered by making a shield. Irma then shot a blast of freezing water at him, freezing his shield. The shield shattered when Irma shot a powerful blast of water at it, knocking Phobos to the ground. Cornelia then waved her arms and vines shot up. They wrapped around Miranda, Cedric and Phobos, making it hard for them to breath. The vines then grew and brought Phobos, Cedric and Miranda in front of Hay-Lin.

'You don't seem so willing to fight each other.' she said airily. 'Maybe it would have been a better idea to enthrall you before letting you go.'

'You can't enthrall usss!' Cedric spat at her. 'You need a chink in our sssoul armor!'

'I don't need that.' Hay-Lin replied. 'I've enthralled a lot of rebels. You see, having a grandmother as an Oracle has it's perks. I have different ways to enthrall people.'

She then walked to Miranda.

'Watch.' she said.

She placed a finger on Miranda's head. Miranda was struggling at first but then her eyes glazed over. The vines around her loosened and she fell on the balcony. There she bowed for Hay-Lin.

'Mistress.' she said zombie like.

Now both Phobos and Cedric started to fear the petite Chinese woman, who was leisurely walking to them. Phobos watched as Hay-Lin placed her finger on Cedric's head. Slowly Cedric's eyes went blank and the vines around him loosened as well. He bowed down for her. She walked past him and looked cocky at Phobos.

'You won't enthrall me.' he said calmly.

He couldn't fool Hay-Lin, even though he thought he could. Hay-Lin could sense his fear. It was almost intoxicating. It felt so nice to feel his fear. After all, he once managed to scare her. But not anymore.

'Who said that I wanted to?' she asked him innocently.

Phobos' eyes widened in shock. He hadn't thought about this.

'What do you mean?' he asked, trying to keep his fear and surprise hidden.

Hay-Lin smirked at him as she gently took his chin.

'If I only enthrall people I won't have anyone to talk to. That would be boring.' she explained to him. 'And besides…' She softly hit his cheek a couple of times. 'You will need your full mind to survive these two.'

'You don't think I'm going to fight those two just so you'll give me power?' Phobos sneered. 'I'm not a pathetic lap dog as those two. I'm royalty.'

'Did I say you have to?' Hay-Lin asked him sweetly.

She then motioned her hand and Cornelia made the vines release Phobos on the bottom of the arena. Cedric and Miranda, both in their transformed states, landed next to him. She then waved with the Heart of Zamballa and Phobos felt something heavy falling on him. As if something was turning the air around him in stone. He knew that teletransporting was now impossible. He also noticed that a sort shield was put up around the arena, making it impossible for him to fly away.

'But I suggest you fight or else those two will tear you to shreds.' Hay-Lin said as she sat down.

Before Phobos could retort he jumped. Cedric's tail shot under him. He immediately got captured by Miranda's web. He managed to pull himself free. He shot a blast of magic at Miranda, throwing her into a wall. Cedric roared and clawed at him. He rolled sideways and then took the air. From here Cedric couldn't hurt him. But while he kept his eyes on Cedric, he didn't notice Miranda who was coming from behind. He only noticed her when her web shot past him. He turned around just in time to see her shoot another string of web. He covered himself with magic and he felt that Miranda's web was spinning around him, trying to turn him into a pop. When he was sure she was done, he felt an incredible force slam on him and he felt that he hit the ground. If it wasn't for his magic protecting him, he would have had serious injury. But now he made the magic around him explode, blowing the strings of web away. He was panting as he looked from Cedric to Miranda. Both had stopped attacking him and looked at each other instead.

'This is boring, wouldn't you agree?' Hay-Lin asked him.

He looked up at her. He remembered the Air Guardian being the one who was the happiest of all, who never had a grudge, who took everything lightly. She was completely changed. Something had changed her. Something horrific.

'You're insane!' he yelled at her.

'I know.' she replied. 'But still, I think we can use a little emotion, don't you agree?'

'What are you talking about?' he demanded.

'You'll see.' she replied.

He heard her snapping her fingers and he saw a twirl of grey magic seeping through the shield. The magic went past him and hit Miranda. Miranda's eyes returned to normal and she clutched her head with one of her spidery hands.

'Oh my head.' she said. 'I hope I'll never go through that again.'

She then noticed Phobos and Cedric. She didn't notice that Cedric was still under Hay-Lin's control.

'Cedric! Are you okay?' she asked him concerned.

Phobos noticed Hay-Lin's smirk and saw her speak, though it was too soft for him to hear her.

'Of courssse I am.' Cedric said. 'I'll be even better onccce I exterminated you.'

Miranda recoiled shocked.

'Wh-What do you mean?' she asked him hurt.

'I mean that I will do what I wanted to do after I had killed the Guardianssss.' Cedric said.

Phobos was looking completely stunned at the two. He glanced from Hay-Lin to Cedric and back. He was sure that Hay-Lin was making him say those words. He was sure of it. For the long time that he was in prison with those two he knew that they loved each other. That they saw each other as the beacon of the pity hope they had. He despised it with every fiber of his being. Their so called 'love' was despicable. He already hated it to be imprisoned by his little sister but to be tortured in that way. He didn't deserve that.

'What do you mean?' Miranda asked again, paling this time.

'If you weren't ssssuch a failure, I would have been able to dessstroy the Guardiansss back on Earth all thossse yearsss ago. After that I would have returned to Kandrakar, to dessstroy you.' Cedric said coldly and yet a little zombie-ish.

'H-How could you?' Miranda whispered hurt. 'I…I thought you loved me.'

Tears ran across her cheek and Phobos felt something. It was hurting him in his stomach and his throat was dry. A lump seemed to have formed there as well. He didn't know what it was. He'd never felt such a thing before. He also had never seen Miranda hurt like this. But he knew one thing. This feeling appeared as soon as he saw Miranda cry. A weird urge to hold her came up in him. He quickly dismissed the feeling and clenched his hands instead while looking directly at Hay-Lin, who was seemingly liking Miranda's pain. He, too, should enjoy this. He'd seen it countless of times before. He was the one who loved such a things. But now he found them despicable. Had those years in prison made him soft?

'Love?' Cedric said. 'I never felt that useless feeling.'

With that Phobos had to agree. Love was useless. It only brought pain, sadness and despair. The love his parents once gave him was quickly dissolved when his useless sister was born. The love he gave to his first love and received was quickly dissolved when she met another guy. He had felt the pain back then and swore to abandon that sickening feeling.

Miranda had gasped at Cedric's words and was now trembling on her feet. She had transformed back to her human appearance, feeling too weak to maintain it. The pain she felt in her heart was something no one could give her by just attacking her physically. This was more fatiguing then any battle. More tears were crossing her cheeks and she was hating it. This only showed that she was weak. She had already forgotten that Hay-Lin was watching, or that Phobos was standing near her. Her eyes were on Cedric as he continued to speak.

'I only usssed you. Your pathetic feelingssss helped me greatly, till the point that it was sssshown that you were usssselesssss.' he said.

He then moved at a speed she couldn't see, maybe because of the tears that were blurring her eyes. She then felt it. His claw, piercing her chest. His head was close to hers. His mouth close to her ear.

'Goodbye, my love.' he whispered.

She noticed that his voice was different. She could sense that that was the real Cedric. Only then she realized that those things Cedric had said wasn't things that he meant. He did love her. But before she could say anything else or even smile she felt her soul leaving her body.

Phobos was looking shocked at what had happened. He shouldn't be shocked by this. He had seen Cedric slay countless of rebels and civilians before. Why was he feeling like this? This was nothing for him. But when he saw how Cedric pierced Miranda's chest his breath stopped. He saw how a sole tear rolled across Cedric's cheek. This was wrong. He couldn't grasp it. Why was he feeling pity for his servant? Why was he shocked by things he'd seen countless of times. His mind wandered to his sister. How she visited him countless of times, boring him with her stories. When he asked her why she would visit him. Why she was torturing him like that, she gave him an answer with one of her stupid smiles. "Because you're my brother, if I like it or not. And I think you have some good inside you. You just need to recover it." She then smiled at him and he always thought she should be thankful that the bars in front of him were preventing him from ripping that innocent smile of her face. He hated her talk about feelings, love for the people, minor problems and more. And it was her fault that he was changing. That he could feel. He silently agreed with himself that, when his sister was freed of the Air Guardian's power, he would have a long talk with her considering his feelings.

'Now that was fun.'

Phobos snapped out of his train of thoughts and looked up, seeing Hay-Lin with a smile. He felt an urge to yell at her but again repressed that feeling. He smirked at her.

'You think so?' he asked her coldly.

'What's wrong Phobos?' Hay-Lin countered. 'Can't you handle it to see yourself in me? Only more successful than you.'

Phobos gritted his teeth as he glared at Hay-Lin. How dared she to compare herself with him? He was way above her. She would never be able to reach him. She couldn't. Not a filthy peasant like her.

'You're nothing like me.' he snarled.

'I'm afraid so.' Hay-Lin replied. 'Not that I like it. I mean, if it were up to me than it would be you who was acting like me and not the other way around. But, considering that you were first with doing these things, you should get the honor, don't you think?'

She didn't wait for Phobos response as she shifted her gaze to Cedric.

'Now let's have some more fun, shall we?'

Phobos again noticed how a swirl of grey magic seeped through the shield. The magic hit Cedric on his head and his eyes also returned to normal. His eyes went quickly to Miranda's body. He grabbed her from the floor and took her gently in his arms. Phobos couldn't believe his eyes but Cedric was actually crying. He let out a painful roar as he slowly caressed Miranda's cheek.

'I'll avenge you, my love.' he whispered to her.

Phobos again felt a weird feeling in his throat and maybe even a prickling feeling in his eyes. What was happening to him? Had his sister really managed to make him this soft? Cedric carefully laid Miranda down and then turned around, his anger clearly tangible. But to Phobos' surprise he didn't turn to Hay-Lin with a hateful expression, but to him.

'You!' Cedric hissed angrily as he glared at Phobos. 'It's your fault I killed Miranda!'

Cedric lunged at him and Phobos dodged narrowly. Cedric then started with what seemed to Phobos to be an endless assault of attacks. Most of it he managed to dodge but there were attacks that with him hard in the guts or the shoulder. When Cedric finally stopped with his attacks Phobos was panting and bleeding. Some blood ran over his left eye and past his lips. He looked up at Cedric and saw that Cedric was ready to deliver the finishing blow. His fists were intertwined and he was ready to place the finishing blow. Phobos reacted quickly and lunged forward. His hand contacted Cedric's muscled stomach and then he released all the magic he could muster. Cedric's eyes widened as he watched how Phobos shot through his stomach. He shuffled a bit backwards before he fell to the ground. His real memories started to flow back in his mind. It wasn't Phobos who made him say those terrible things to Miranda and later on kill her. It was thanks to Hay-Lin. He saw Phobos looking down on him and with the last of his powers he managed to wheeze out four words.

'I'm sorry, my Princcce.' he said before following Miranda to hopefully a better place.

Phobos was standing over Cedric's body and heard his final words. A pain was penetrating him like he'd never felt before. He hadn't felt like this when his parents died, maybe because he killed them. He hadn't felt like this when he saw other people die by his hands. But he knew why he felt like this. He had felt it once before. When Cedric had betrayed him. He could understand why he had anyway. He himself had acted rashly by turning him into a worm back when the rebels interrupted the coronation ceremony. It was only natural that Cedric would betray him. He betrayed him first. His first friend. The only person in Metaworld to understand him. To play with him when his parents were busy. Encouraging him to become the ruler of this planet. That's all he actually ever wanted. Acknowledgement. He smiled sadly as memories flooded his mind.

When he was young, and without a sister, no one would look at him. His nanny only came to him when he needed something. His parents were always busy with work and only went out of their way with his birthday. The guards, maids and other personnel bowed always for him and never wanted to play with him. Only one day, when he'd ventured beyond the castle walls, he met him. Cedric. He didn't recognize him as Prince and just played with him. Phobos saw how happy Cedric was with his family and how he meant something for his family. That's what Phobos wanted. To be acknowledged by his father and mother. He practiced with his magic and learned about the country every day, so that he someday would be a ruler his parents would be proud off. But they never were there for him. They never praised him on his achievements. They never scolded him for his insolent behavior. But Cedric did. He acted like the person Phobos needed. He was there to point out Phobos' mistakes and to praise his achievements. He was happy, until his little sister was born. His parents suddenly showed that they could be human by being around her all the time. No one in the castle had eye for him and he fell into darkness. And not only he did. Cedric did as well. Cedric followed him everywhere and he helped him to assassinate his parents. And when he assumed the throne, Cedric was there to be his right hand. And he failed Cedric.

He thought he would never feel this feeling again. Guilt. He hated himself for feeling this. It was true what they said. You don't realize what you had until it's gone. And now he was alone and there was nothing for him.

'Sorry, my friend.' he said before he fell unconscious.

Hay-Lin had watched the two fight. To be honest, she was disappointed. She had hoped for a bigger fight. But she shouldn't be surprised. They were, after all, the weakest enemies she'd ever had. But now that Phobos had survived he would have the chance to become her servant. Maybe she couldn't enthrall him, but she could modify him, like she'd done with Uriah. She removed the spells on the arena and teletransported to the unconscious Phobos. She moved her hand above his head and her magic slowly seeped into him. She modified him. She made sure that he wouldn't get any ideas of deserting or betraying her. That he would stay fateful to her until his death. After that was done she waved the Heart of Zamballa. A crown appeared around his head. It was gold with a silver, grayish stone in the middle. The crown would work like the Crown of Light. It would enhance his powers.

'Well, I hoped to have more fun with them.' she said with a sigh as she looked at Miranda and Cedric.

'It can't be helped.' she then said with a shrug. 'Elyon, take your lovely brother back to the castle. Make sure he'll recover completely.'

Elyon bowed for Hay-Lin, grabbed her brother and teletransported away. Hay-Lin looked at her watch.

'1 o'clock already, huh?' she said. 'Time flies when you're having fun. Cornelia, Irma. We'll return for lunch.'

Cornelia and Irma both bowed for Hay-Lin.

'Yes, ma'am.' they said.

Hay-Lin waved the Heart of Zamballa and a fold appeared. The three of them walked through it.

_At the rebel base._

'This is terrible!' Taranee said.

'You tell me! Now we've got Cedric, Miranda and Phobos to worry about!' Caleb said frustrated.

Will, Taranee, Martin, Alchemy and Caleb had been talking about the situation for some time. Will's eyes had glazed over without anyone noticing.

'Are Cedric and Miranda really that troublesome?' Alchemy asked unsure.

'They're shape shifters and both are quite strong.' Caleb answered.

'And Phobos is no push over either.' Taranee added.

'What do you say Will?' Martin asked as he turned to Will.

He then noticed that Will's eyes were glazed. He waved his hand in front of her eyes.

'Hello? Will?' he said.

Will blinked and her eyes fixed on Martin.

'Huh?' she said absent mindedly.

'I said, what do you think of this whole Cedric, Miranda and Phobos matter?' Martin repeated a bit annoyed.

'Oh…about that.' Will said. 'We don't have to worry about Miranda or Cedric.'

'And why's that?' Caleb asked skeptical.

'Because they're dead.' Will replied grimly.

'Say what?' Taranee said surprised.

'Yeah…I'll explain.' Will said.

_At Hay-Lin's HQ_

Hay-Lin wiped her mouth clean as Irma and Cornelia finished their meal. She looked at the clock.

'Seems that we are on time for our last appointment of today.' Hay-Lin said.

she got up and so did Cornelia and Irma. she waved the Heart of Zamballa and moved through the fold. she arrived on a desert like planet. Everywhere she looked was dry land. She could see certain paths running over the floor and some dead trees were standing next to the road. Red mountains were standing in the distance and somewhere near that she could see a little oases. Next to it she could see a couple of tents. She walked towards the make shift village while Irma and Cornelia followed her. When they arrived they saw a large group standing in front of the biggest tent. Two beings, with blue skin color and rather large tusks while wearing clothes similar to what the Native Americans used to wear, were standing in the middle.

'You're insane! She's not only an outsider but also evil. Don't tell me you can't sense it, Lok'tar'jin?' one troll said.[0]

'Be quiet!' the other troll, Lok'tar said angrily. 'She'll bring our people only more respect!'

'She won't!' the other troll replied. 'She will only use us! She only cares about herself!'

'You will follow my tactics and you will obey me!' Lok'tar yelled at him. 'And else I exile you, Kat'ali!'

The trolls gasped and all eyes were on Kat'ali. His face was contorted with anger before it relaxed. A sad expression came on his face.

'Then so be it.' he said. 'Brother, I'm afraid you have to exile me and my followers. Because we will not follow that Zin'Alarion!'[1]

With that Kat'ali and a group of thirty other trolls turned around and walked away. They passed Hay-Lin and many threw her a dirty look, which she completely ignored.

'Mon, next time I'll see you, you will feel my thraze!'[2] Lok'tar said before turning around and walking into his tent.

Some other trolls followed him while others returned to their occupations. Hay-Lin patiently waited until a troll or two noticed her. When they saw her they walked to her.

'How're you doing mon?' one of the trolls greeted.

Hay-Lin silently growled at the lack of respect these creatures showed. She then smiled at him and waved at him.

'Good. How 'bout you?' she asked.

'Fairly well, mon.' the troll replied. 'Just a bit sad about the loss of our brethren.'

'I understand. May I ask what happened?' Hay-Lin asked with fake concern.

'There's been a lot of agitation after your last visit.' the troll replied. 'Some of the brothers think you'll only use us, but between you and me, I think they're mojoed.'[3]

'Yeah, what a weird thing to think.' Hay-Lin said lightly, silently laughing at the troll's gullibility.

'That's what I think, mon.' the troll said with a nod. 'But I guess you're here for Lok'tar'jin, right?'

'Correct.' Hay-Lin admitted.

'Follow me, mon.' the troll said.

He led Hay-Lin, Cornelia and Irma to the biggest tent. In there a group of five trolls were sitting on each side of the tent, discussing with the troll in the middle. They all stopped talking when they noticed that Hay-Lin entered. The troll in the middle, Lok'tar, got up and smiled at her.

'Hay-Lin.' he said happily. 'Nice to see you, mon. I trust that you're here to seal our deal, right?'

'Oh yes.' Hay-Lin said with a smile of her own. 'Here are the gems I promised you.'

She waved at Cornelia and Cornelia raised her arms. Her hands glowed green and several trolls gasped in awe. The ground rumbled beneath them and suddenly it broke open. Hundredths of gems came out of the ground and all neatly piled up behind Hay-Lin. Cornelia then waved her arms again and the ground closed itself. Lok'tar was looking with greed at the pile of gems. Hay-Lin grabbed the biggest gem of the pile and, without that any of the trolls noticed, enchanted it.

'As you can see, these are of a very good quality.' she said as she handed it to the troll nearest to her.

His eyes immediately glazed over as he nodded and passed the gem to the troll next to him. His eyes glazed over as well while he passed the gem. In a short while the five most important trolls were enthralled and they returned the gem to Hay-Lin. She bowed for Lok'tar and presented the gem to him. His eyes were filled with greed when he grabbed the gem, but then he too became enthralled.

'Now, chief.' Hay-Lin said casually. 'You wouldn't mind handing over the Heart of Dreadmore, right? I mean, that's the only reason I bothered going to your tribe.'

Lok'tar grabbed the necklace he was wearing. It was a green gem in the form of a skull. He then handed it to Hay-Lin.

'I, Lok'tar, Jin of the Shadowaxe tribe and alarion [4] of the juju [5] of Dreadmore gives you the juju of Dreadmore.' Lok'tar spoke.

Hay-Lin accepted the Heart and eyed it critically. She then looked at the Heart of Zamballa. She then hold the Heart of Dreadmore close to the Heart of Zamballa, making it absorb the purple gem. She then threw away the empty staff and hang the Heart of Dreadmore around her neck. She looked at herself in a makeshift mirror in the tent.

'That will do.' she said.

She then stepped out of the tent and found that the tribe was waiting for their leader and her to appear. She smiled when she saw the shocked eyes of the trolls. She beckoned for the Chief to appear and slowly Lok'tar walked out of the tent. He went to stand in front of the gathered mass and heaved his arms.

'Brothers and sisters!' he said. 'From today, Miss Lin will be our alarion! She will look after our juju! All hail her and obey her as you obey me.'

All trolls nodded their heads and yelled Hay-Lin's name. She smiled as she saw that none of them wondered what had happened. How she loved the stupidity of this race. The trolls slowly went back to their former work and Hay-Lin made sure that the leaders and chief would act as normal as possible, of course while showing their respect to her. Then she opened another fold and walked through it. Once through it she turned to Irma and Cornelia.

'Irma, Cornelia. Go to your rooms and get ready to go to Arkhanta. You two will assemble the banshees first before going after the Heart of that world.' she said.

Both bowed but before they wanted to go away Hay-Lin spoke again.

'But take your time. Now that Will is on the prowl we can't risk any rash actions. You will deploy over a week. Until then you will keep a close eye on my weapon and drug transport across the world, understood?'

'Yes ma'am.' both said in their usual zombie tone.

'Good. Off you go.'

Both walked away and Hay-Lin went the other way, towards her dungeons. While she walked down the stairs she could hear pleads from some guy before she heard Uriah's maniacal laughter. She then heard some slashes and a cry of pain.

'So he chose the old seven tailed whip, didn't he?' Hay-Lin said with dark pleasure. 'I think I should give him more toys to play with.'

She walked further and past some cells. The prisoners who saw her quickly hid themselves in the shadow of their cells. Too afraid that Hay-Lin had come for them. The only reason for Hay-Lin to descend to the dungeons was to torture. And there went rumors that those who were tortured by her, never retained their sanity. Hay-Lin past them without even giving them a glare and walked straight to the torture chamber where Uriah was busy torturing one of the rebels she'd caught earlier today. Uriah was smiling while wiping some blood off his face. The rebel's back was completely open and blood gushed on the floor.

'Uriah, you don't want your playmate to die this quickly, do you?' she questioned.

Uriah's head shot up and smirked when he saw Hay-Lin. The rebel, who was nearly unconscious, glared at Hay-Lin and spat to the ground. Hay-Lin focused on her new Heart and shot a beam of magic at the rebel. The bleeding stopped but when the rebel was hit he screamed out in pain.

'What did you do, ma'am?' Uriah asked interested.

'I stopped his bleeding, but increased the pain he was feeling.' Hay-Lin told him. 'You can throw him back into his cell. And you can retrieve Malcolm. It's time for his treatment.'

Uriah smirked broadly and quickly disappeared with the rebel. He also quickly reappeared with a terrible struggling Malcolm. when Malcolm saw Hay-Lin his eyes narrowed.

'You.' he said.

'Why hello Malcolm.' Hay-Lin said with a smile as she motioned for Uriah to strip him to the wall. 'Do you already feel like giving me some information?'

'Drop dead.' Malcolm answered coldly.

He then groaned because Uriah gave an extra hard tug on the chains while hanging him on the wall.

'That wasn't very nice.' Hay-Lin said as she walked past the rack of torture material.

She slowly walked past the torture equipment as she kept on talking.

'Tell me, Malcolm. Did Will or Angelo ever tell you about the great Guardians of Kandrakar?' Hay-Lin asked him airily.

'And how you betrayed that honor? Yeah I do.' Malcolm spat at her.

He again groaned when Uriah punched him in his stomach. Hay-Lin ignored his witty remark and continued.

'Then you also know about the five elements that we used, right?' she asked him.

'Water, fire, earth, air and quintessence. Why do you ask?' Malcolm asked confused.

'I see.' Hay-Lin said with a smile as she stopped in front of a towel and a watering can.

She took both of them and motioned for Uriah to place Malcolm on the table. Uriah nodded and loosened Malcolm from the wall. He then placed him roughly on the table. He then made sure that Malcolm was laying on his back before strapping him down. Malcolm turned his head and watched at how Hay-Lin was closing in on him.

'What are you going to do with that watering can? Wash my head?' he asked her sarcastically.

He couldn't fool Hay-Lin. She sensed his nervousness and smiled at his remark.

'Let's play a little game, okay?' she said. 'You just mentioned five elements in a certain order. I'll question you every day and if you fail to answer me than you will be tortured by the element of the day. How about that?'

'Well, all I can say is that I'm damn glad that I first mentioned water.' Malcolm said. 'You can't do much with that, so I'll be good.'

'You will be surprised in the torture methods Miss Lin knows.' Uriah said with an evil smirk on his face.

'Oh yeah. Because a towel and a watering can is so threatening.' Malcolm said while acting afraid. 'Maybe she'll hit me with a wet towel, oh poor me.'

'That is a nice idea but not exactly what I was thinking of.' Hay-Lin said with a joyful yet evil glimmer in her eyes. 'But let's start fair. Now tell me. For who do you work?'

'Justice!' Malcolm yelled at her, not feeling so scared anymore.

'I don't think that's a good answer, is it Uriah?' Hay-Lin said.

'I don't think so.' Uriah replied with a smirk.

'That's what I thought.' Hay-Lin said as she moved to Malcolm.

She wrapped the towel around Malcolm's head, leaving enough space for him to breath. She then took the watering can and started to pour all the water over his head. At first Malcolm didn't react, but slowly he started to move. He tried to move his arms but they were tied to the table. He then started jerking his head and gasps were heard. The watering can ran out of water and Hay-Lin removed the towel. Malcolm immediately took big breaths of air and coughed loudly. He was focusing on his breathing and didn't notice that Uriah had gone to fetch more towels and more water.

'And what did you think? How is it to drown?' Hay-Lin asked him airily. 'Don't worry, I can't kill you with it. You will just have the feeling of drowning. It's called waterboarding if I'm not mistaken.'

Malcolm stayed silent as he glared at Hay-Lin and kept breathing in deeply.

'I wouldn't try to breath so much air at the same time.' she said. 'You might just faint and we don't want that, do we?'

Malcolm again refused to reply and slowly his breathing became more regulate.

'You're insane.' he breathed.

'I know but let's stay on target, shall we?' Hay-Lin said as she took another towel. 'Now I'll ask again, for who do you work?'

'I'll hope you burn in hell.' Malcolm spat.

'Again, wrong answer.' Hay-Lin said as she wrapped the second towel around Malcolm's head.

Hay-Lin used the "waterboarding" technique a couple of times but Malcolm didn't seem to crack. She sighed and decided to go over on another technique. Uriah fastened Malcolm's head on the table, making it impossible for him to move his head.

'What's wrong?' he taunted Hay-Lin. 'Is your technique failing on me?'

'Nah, I got bored.' Hay-Lin replied. 'So let's do this. We'll leave you for today and come back tomorrow. Uriah will come around dinner and give you some food and water.'

'Giving up so soon?' Malcolm taunted.

'Oh no. You see, the following technique demands patience.' Hay-Lin said as she pointed at the contraption that was being placed above Malcolm.

It looked like a big sack which Uriah was filling with water and sometimes, ice cubes.

'What you see above you is a contraption I invented myself, though the technique is rather old.' Hay-Lin explained. 'It's called the Chinese water torture method. What it does is rather simple. Every so often a drop of ice cold water will fall on your forehead. You will not know when. I just hope it will drive you insane by tomorrow so you will talk but I think I'll have to continue with fire. Not that I mind.'

By then a drop of water had fallen on Malcolm's head. He laughed at the method.

'You don't think that this will drive me insane, do you?' he asked her. 'Because it won't.'

'We'll see.' Hay-Lin said as she and Uriah left the torture chambers. 'We'll see.'

Uriah and Hay-Lin walked silently back to the ground floor. There Uriah took a left turn towards his chamber and Hay-Lin went to hers. As she walked in she saw Eric waiting for her. She looked at him and smiled. Today was a perfect day.

_**[A/N] And that was it for our chapter! Phobos appears to have feelings! Surprise or what? But now his mind is modified to fit with Hay-Lin's way of thinking and Hay-Lin loves her job. You can say that my mind is pretty twisted, but I kinda liked it to write this. Anyway, the trolls are a small idea of my little brother. He hates W.I.T.C.H. but everytime his computer lags or so he watches the show with me. He asked me to do a WoW/W.I.T.C.H. fanfic but that was something I found to difficult to do. So he then asked me to add trolls (his favorite race) into this story. So the trolls are a tribute to my little brother. Kat'ali is my brother's username in the WoW game when he played it and asked me if I wanted to make him good…and not fighting any purple trees… But we'll see. Also the trolls used some words which I will explain now:**_

_**[0] = 'jin is asuffix that refers to chief or elder. Lok'tar is the name of the troll.**_

_**[1] = Zin'Alarion = Zin= Destroyer and Alarion = Guardian. Kat'ali calls Hay-Lin the Destroyer Guardian. A Guardian who destroys.**_

_**[2] = thraze = sword**_

_**[3] = mojoed = spelled, hexed, charmed you name it**_

_**[4] = alarion = Guardian. The trolls call her a Guardian even though she is unaware of it. Ironic huh?**_

_**[5] = juju = a charm or amulet or in this case a Heart.**_

_**REVIEW!**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The days went by quietly for the rebellion. The Warriors, Nerissa and Caleb all decided to ignore Will. They first tried to scold her for the "revelation" but she kept telling them that "it was necessary." So they ended up with ignoring her. The same day of her glamour trick Will decided to train G.E.N.I.E. on her own to give the Warriors some space. Slowly some of the Warriors warmed up to Will, asking her for advice in controlling their anger. Angelo, Caleb and Cassidy however were still being hardheaded. Although Angelo was struggling with himself and he had the weird feeling that he was making himself crazy.

Two days had passed since the addition of Lilian and Chris and Will was nowhere to be found. Angelo was staring at Lilian, Napoleon and Chris and watched them train. His mind was somewhere else as he kept his gaze on Lilian. A weird monster inside of him was roaring in pain and he didn't know why.

'Angelo?'

Angelo blinked a couple of times before snapping completely out of his train of thoughts. He looked around and saw the Guardians standing around him, and a fire on his shoe.

'WHAAA!' he yelled as he quickly covered his foot with earth, dousing the fire.

As he shed the armor around his foot he glared angrily at the girls. Ilana was looking guilty while Natasha was shaking her head at Ehren and Edeline, who were giggling. Georgi just sighed.

'Any of you going to tell me why my shoe was on fire? Ilana?' Angelo said with narrowed eyes.

Ilana shuffled her foot and she looked down. She then pointed at Ehren.

'She made me do it!' she said.

Ehren's eyes widened in faked shock and pointed at herself as she gasped out of shock.

'Me?' she asked a little too innocent. 'I would never do such a thing!'

Angelo raised an eyebrow as he kept looking at Ehren. He crossed his arms and Ehren's innocent smile faltered.

'Okay okay. I might have suggested it.' she said slowly, getting a giggle out of Edeline, a sigh from Georgi, a groan from Natasha and a relieved sigh from Ilana. 'But that was only because you were spacing off!'

'And you couldn't think of any other way to get my attention?' Angelo asked annoyed.

'We did!' Edeline said, defending Ehren. 'We called your name a couple of times and even pinched you in your leg! But you didn't respond!'

'Okay okay.' Angelo said with a sigh. 'Tell me, what do you five want? Aren't you supposed to train with Will?'

'That's the point.' Natasha said. 'You see, Will has gone to another planet.'

'What?' Angelo said shocked. 'Why?'

'She said something about adding some warriors to the rebels.' Ilana said with a shrug. 'So we had to ask you to train us.'

'Sure. She leaves and I end up with doing the chores…' Angelo muttered. 'Oh well, let's get started.'

As Angelo took G.E.N.I.E. to the training grounds a fold appeared somewhere else in the base. A very ruffled Will stepped out of it. Taranee and Caleb had noticed it and quickly went to her. Caleb temporarily forgetting his annoyance for her. Will saw them coming and smiled at them as she waved with her fingers at them.

'Hey guys.' she said tiredly.

She stumbled a bit and Taranee grabbed her shoulders.

'Will, what happened?' she asked confused.

'Remember that time when we ended up on a planet due to a troll shaman's spell gone wrong?' Will said with a smile.

'Yeah, we ended up helping a couple of them.' Taranee said with a frown.

Her eyes then widened in realization.

'You went to them? Why?' she asked.

'You know that they are good warriors.' Will replied. 'I thought they could help. But now that I think about it, I never sent them a letter… But then again, they wouldn't have read it if I had.'

'They did this to you?' Caleb asked concerned.

Will looked at him and he noticed a glimmer of joy when he met her gaze. His heart was throbbing harder and he silently decided that he wouldn't get anywhere if he stayed angry with her. But right now his concern for Will was bigger than those thoughts.

'Well, I went to the village that we'd helped.' Will explained. 'But I was too late. Hay-Lin enthralled the five tribe leaders and the chief. So when I appeared they called me the devil and I got attacked from several directions.'

Caleb raised his eyebrow.

'That makes no sense. You could easily defend yourself from that.' he countered.

Will smiled. 'I didn't say that it's thanks to them that I look like this. I defended myself and hid me from their vision. I then walked a good end away from that village. I undid that spell and noticed that someone was around me. I searched and found a young troll. He was studying for priest and found out that the words I spoke were the truth. He then told me of a small group of trolls that were exiled because they didn't trust Hay-Lin. He told me where I could find them and then walked away, acting as if he never met me.'

'So let me guess.' Caleb said, interrupting Will again. 'They did this to you.'

She shrugged.

'When they saw me they were hostile. Who could blame them? Any human would be suspicious in their eyes after their meeting with Hay-Lin.' she said. 'Then the biggest, a warrior, attacked me. And seeing that I said that I didn't have any hostile intentions I refrained from using my powers and dodged and blocked the attacks. Then one of them recognized me and stopped the fight. I explained the lot and they agreed in helping us.'

Caleb had to laugh about this. Taranee was staring surprised at him while Will had a glare on her face.

'I'm sorry. It's just after what you did to us, I feel like this is a fair punishment.' he said.

Will had to smile at this comment.

'Yeah. I kinda deserved that one, didn't I?' she said as she laughed with him.

Taranee smiled at her two friends, glad that it didn't escalate into a fight. The two stopped with laughing and looked each other in the eyes. Caleb unconsciously neared Will, who stayed in her place as she felt herself lost in his green eyes. Caleb gently took her chin and kept looking in her golden brown eyes.

'Maybe I should go with you next time you go to another planet.' he said. 'Just to be save.'

Taranee felt a major grin growing on her face and couldn't help but look at the two. The laughing had done more than just lighten up the mood between the two.

Will, completely forgetting that Taranee was still standing near them or that they were standing in the middle of the rebel base, took Caleb's face in her hands.

'Maybe you should.' she said softly. 'A little extra protection wouldn't hurt, would it?'

Their heads moved closer and closer to each other. Will closed her eyes and Taranee was almost skipping out of excitement.

'Taranee! Caleb!'

Will's eyes snapped open and she and Caleb separated, both slightly blushing. Taranee's hands got temporarily engulfed in flames as she turned to the cause of the interruption. Cassidy came walking to them. She didn't seem to notice that she had come on a very bad time and smiled blissfully unaware at Taranee and Caleb.

'Hey you guys.' she said. 'Are you coming with me? Me and some rebels are planning on raiding the food storages of the castle.'

Taranee breathed slowly, trying to keep her temper in check. Caleb's blush diminished and glared at Cassidy. Cassidy, sensing she'd come on a bad moment, smiled at them.

'Cassidy…' Caleb said with difficulty.

He was this close in kissing Will. This close! Maybe his only chance before she was locked up in Kandrakar acting as the Oracle. And then Cassidy had to show up and ruin it all! His hand was twitching above the hilt of Blue Destiny as if he was contemplating of drawing it or not.

'We'll come with you.' Taranee said calmly, though Will noticed the small flames that were dancing in Taranee's hands that she was holding behind her back.

Will smiled, knowing how both her friends felt. She felt the same as Caleb about Cassidy's bad timing. She's been waiting for him for years and now that he finally got closer to her, Cassidy had to come and ruin it. The only reason why she didn't attack Cassidy or had any murderous intentions was because somewhere she felt that she didn't deserve Caleb.

'Yeah, it would be a good idea to get some more food.' Will said with a nod. 'Anyway, I'm off to take a bath. Be save you guys.'

Taranee gave her a sad smile and Caleb still had a look of longing. Will gave him a small smile back.

'Oh yeah, Cassidy.' Will said.

Cassidy ignored Will as she was busy with trying to get Taranee and Caleb to move.

'Cassidy.' Will said again, though this time her voice was heavier and more demanding.

Cassidy looked involuntarily at Will and noticed that Will was looking serious at her.

'You are the only one who still has feelings of anger towards me. You and I both know that it will not help you in any way if you keep acting like a little kid.'

Cassidy scowled at Will. The nasty part was that she knew that Will was right, again. Will moved towards her and for some reason the feeling of running away overcame Cassidy. But before she could do anything like that Will hugged her.

'I'm sorry that I had to show it to you like that, but ask yourself, would you have done something about it if I had just told you?' she whispered in Cassidy's ear.

Cassidy looked at Will's red hair and thought about Will's words. She was right. If Will had said that she had a hatred for Hay-Lin she wouldn't have listened. Maybe even laughed at how ridiculous it was. But now…now that she actually felt the rush of hatred coursing through her when she saw Hay-Lin's appearance, she couldn't help but think about it. Trying to control it, to forgive. Maybe that was why she was actually angry with Will in the first place. Not because of the small beating she'd got or the taunting, but because of it she knew what sort of monster lived inside her. Cassidy smiled and patted Will on her back.

'Oh well. Forgive and forget is what I always say.' she said with a smile as Will pulled away from her.

'Liar.' she heard Caleb cough.

Cassidy was quick and hit Caleb on the head.

'I forgive you.' she then said innocently.

Will and Taranee laughed at the two as they started bickering. They watched how the two hit each other a couple of times before Will waved at Taranee and went off to take a bath. Taranee sighed and placed her hands in her hips.

'Now weren't we planning on raiding the food storage?' she said, snapping the two out of their fight.

'Of course we were.' Cassidy said nodding, ignoring Caleb's glare. 'Let's get going!'

With that she pulled the two on their collars towards the exit of the Infinite City. If the rebels planned on going outside they had decided to use an entrance that lay far away from the rebel camp, because Will couldn't hide them from Yan-Lin's vision if she had to make sure that the rebel camp wouldn't be spotted as well. So they had to use that entrance to make sure that they wouldn't be caught. When Cassidy, Taranee and Caleb arrived they saw that there was a group of ten people waiting for them, Joel and Nerissa included.

'That took you long enough!' Nerissa said.

She then noticed the rather flushed and annoyed look of her son. It still felt weird to see him as her son yet strangely familiar.

'They were talking to Will when I found them.' Cassidy explained. 'But that doesn't matter. Let's go get some food!'

'Rash as always huh?' Nerissa said with a smile.

'And I don't intend to change that.' Cassidy replied.

Cassidy and Joel transformed before the small group headed out and quietly went towards the castle. On their way they didn't find many resistance. Sometimes a patrol of guards or Lurdens but nothing dangerous. They arrived at the storage but it was there where their luck stopped. The storage was heavily guarded. At least twenty guards were patrolling and Lurdens were scanning the area.

'It's times like these that I wished we had Cornelia here.' Taranee muttered.

'Or Kadma.' Cassidy said.

'So what now?' Joel asked. 'We can't just attack them, they would raise the alarm and then we would be in trouble.'

A smile crept on Nerissa's face. She looked from Cassidy to Taranee to two other rebels. Cassidy noticed Nerissa's look and smiled as well.

'I know that look.' she said. 'You've got an idea, don't you?'

'I think I do.' Nerissa replied. 'But first I need to know where the warning horn is. You two. (she pointed at the two rebels) Can you scout the area? We need to know where the warning horn is.'

The two nodded and split up. As the group waited they kept watching the guards and Lurdens.

'Hey Taranee.' Cassidy said after a couple of minutes. 'Once this whole thing is over what are you planning to do?'

Taranee looked surprised at Cassidy before smiling slightly.

'I think that I'll put my education to good use and become a psychologist. And maybe reopen the dance school in Heatherfield.' she said with a dreamy smile.

'You want to make it big, don't you?' Cassidy said with a smile.

'Why not?' Taranee questioned with her own smile. 'But what about you? Any plans?'

'Well, I had finished my education for pediatrician. And it was my childhood dream, so I guess I'm going for that.' Cassidy replied.

'And maybe even marry me.' Joel said as he laid his hand on hers.

'Maybe.' Cassidy said as she smiled at him. 'But first let's end this whole circus.'

'What about you Joel?' Taranee said. 'Any plans?'

'I'm thinking of joining the police force.' Joel said. 'And drum in a little band if I ever find one that is.'

'Cool.' Caleb said as he now too joined in.

'What about you dude? Any plans?' Joel asked.

For some reason Caleb blushed a little.

'I had.' he whispered softly.

He then looked up.

'Well, I'm not sure. I think I'll see what the future will bring me. One thing is sure, I'm going to watch over my mother.'

'You know that you are the younger one, right?' Nerissa said, having heard Caleb's comment.

'Yes, but now that you're back to normal I'm not planning on losing you again.' Caleb said seriously.

Nerissa's eyes widened and then softened with happiness. What Caleb just said couldn't have made her any happier. It really meant that her own son cared for her.

'Caleb…thanks.' she said as she brushed a tear away.

'Nerissa?'

The group turned to see that the two rebels had returned.

'There is one guard post with a horn for warnings and one where they light a fire.' one of the rebels said.

'The one with the fire is on the left side of the storage while the other one is on the right side.' the other rebel explained.

Nerissa nodded. 'Thanks.'

'So Nissa, what's the plan?' Cassidy said.

'Easy.' Nerissa said with a smile. 'Can you and Taranee do a joint attack on the guard post with the horn?'

'Sure. But why do you want to make water?' Cassidy asked.

'Once they are drenched I can shock them.' Nerissa explained. 'And then Taranee will teletransport to the other post and make sure that the fire isn't lit.'

Taranee smiled.

'Leave it to us.' she said.

Nerissa then turned to Caleb.

'Caleb, are you capable of causing a distraction a little further away from here?'

Caleb grinned.

'Of course mom.' he said. 'That's easier than breathing.'

Nerissa smiled at him but her eyes showed concern. Caleb noticed it and held a thumb up.

'Don't worry.' he said.

'Okay. The rest of you go inside and get as much food as you can carry when you hear the distraction. Joel, I count on you to make an energy net.' Nerissa said, finishing the explanation.

'Leave it to me.' he said.

'Then let's get started.' Nerissa said.

She together with Taranee and Cassidy slipped away. When they arrived at the horn post Cassidy and Taranee went first. They knocked on the door and the guard opened. At first he looked quite confused to the two women in front of him until he recognized Taranee.

'Y-You.' he said surprised.

Taranee smiled sweetly at him as another guard tried to blow the horn. She noticed it and shot a blast of fire at him, making him yell out in pain. The other guards around the post now noticed Cassidy's and Taranee's presence as well and hurried to them. Cassidy acted quick by freezing the floor. The guards slipped over the ice and collided with each other. Taranee waved her hands and the ice started to melt, creating a puddle of water. Cassidy jumped on a nearby chair while Taranee teletransported away to take care of her own job. Nerissa appeared and placed her hand on the water before any of the guards could do something. With the use of her life force she electrified the water and with that every guard in the immediate area of the guard post. The guards fell unconscious as Cassidy jumped off the chair and looked around.

'You might have overdone it there Nissa.' she said.

'They'll live.' Nerissa said with difficulty.

Somewhere in the distance an explosion was heard. Cassidy shook her head with a smile.

'It seems that overdoing things is something that belongs in your family. Your son takes after you, you know?' she said.

'I know. That's what is actually scaring me.' Nerissa said, getting a laugh out of Cassidy.

It didn't take long before they saw their group running into the storage. Not much longer they were running out of it with a big energy sack, undoubtedly filled with food. Taranee had appeared as well and the group was now running to a save place where they would wait for Caleb. Caleb came quickly. He had a lot of leaves in his hair and some scratches on his face.

'What did you do?' Nerissa asked concerned as she took some leaves out of his hair.

'I wondered what would happen if you tied a dynamite staff to a tree.' Caleb said with a smile. 'It's a big explosion.'

Nerissa shook her head while Cassidy, Joel, Taranee and some other rebels laughed. Leave it to Caleb to create a diversion out of fun.

_In the rebel base a couple of minutes later._

Angelo had called for a break in the training. G.E.N.I.E. had taken off, getting something to eat while Angelo went back to his tent. He didn't have to cancel the training. He and the girls could have trained longer if he wanted to, but he couldn't. They had been training near Lilian, Chris and Napoleon and Angelo's mind kept wandering. Several thoughts were haunting him as he paced through his tent.

*What's wrong with me?* he thought feverishly. *I thought I loved Will…but why do I feel as if I'm wrong? Could it be that Taranee was right? That I love someone I'm forgetting? But why do I space off when I look at Lilian. I know I'm not in love with her.*

He paced more and more in his tent until he came to a standstill.

*This can't go on like this!* he screamed in his mind. *I need to sort this out. Right now!*

With a short nod to no one he walked out of his tent. He passed some rebels who were greeting him. He greeted them as well but then headed to the only place that could give him answers. Will's tent. He blindly pushed the canvas aside and entered her tent.

'Will, I need to talk to…you…?' Angelo said before stopping.

Will looked quite surprised at him before her cheeks started to redden. Angelo felt his own cheeks heat up as he couldn't stop himself from scanning Will. She was standing next to her bed in nothing more than her underwear. There was a shocked silence between the two as Will's mind was slowly understanding that Angelo saw her in nothing more than a red slip and bra. Angelo finally noticed what he was doing, but only after gawking at Will's chest, toned stomach, hips and butt for what felt for him the thousands time. Will also seemed to get to the same conclusion. Her face reddened even more as she attempted to cover herself with one arm while she pointed the other at him.

'Pervert!' she yelled.

Before Angelo could apologize he felt a great power hitting his stomach, pushing him out. He shot past some rebels, who were carrying amounts of food when he finally came to a standstill. He lay on his back with his head in another tent. He groaned as he felt his stomach. That was going to leave a bruise.

'Angelo?'

Angelo looked up to see Taranee, Cassidy and Caleb with some scratches on his face looking at him. Cassidy had a grin on her face as she helped him up.

'Nice of you to drop by.' she said. 'Do you, by any chance, know why and to whom Will yelled pervert?'

Angelo's face reddened again as he quickly turned around while clearing his throat.

'I…I don't know.' he said while trying to stop thinking about what he just saw.

Unfortunately for him the image of Will in underwear kept popping up and he felt is blush deepen. And his luck didn't stop there. A certain ex-Fire Guardian picked up his thoughts and started to laugh uncontrollably.

'Why are you laughing T?' Cassidy asked.

Angelo turned around and glared at Taranee, knowing full well that she had read his thoughts.

'Yeah Taranee. Why are you laughing?' he asked with a tone that had a clear warning in it.

Taranee's eyes shined mischievously, telling him she accepted his challenge.

'The reason why Will yelled pervert was because…' she stopped dramatically. She saw Angelo plead but that only made her smile more. 'He walked in on Will while she wore nothing more than her underwear.' she finished with a smile.

Cassidy bursted out in laughter and Taranee quickly joined in. Angelo was silently cursing the evil that was the female mind. Caleb had an inner turmoil. He grabbed Angelo by his collar and pulled him close to him. Cassidy and Taranee stopped laughing when they saw what Caleb was doing.

'Caleb don't do anything you'll regret.' Taranee warned again.

Caleb didn't seem to notice Taranee's warning. He stared at Angelo. Angelo saw that his glare was slowly softening and replacing with a look of childish curiosity.

'How did she look like?'

It was a simple question full of burning curiosity. Angelo blinked a couple of times out of surprise while Taranee rubbed her temples and Cassidy sighed.

'Men.' they said.

Caleb kept looking at Angelo. Angelo couldn't stop himself to smirk.

'She's….Well…And her breasts…and booty…and form….just wow.' he started, having difficulty with explaining something that boggled his mind.

'Really?' Caleb asked, excitement evident in his voice.

'Yeah. She holds a lot of her feminine beauty hidden from us with her tomboy clothes.' Angelo said, noticing that his voice was filled with the same excitement.

'What was she wearing?'

Again a simple question filled with childish curiosity. And again Angelo couldn't stop himself from answering.

'She was wearing a red and very hot br…'

He stopped because he noticed Taranee and Cassidy pointing at something behind him. A feeling of fear overcame him as he gulped.

'She's standing behind me, isn't she?' he asked in a frightened voice.

Caleb looked past him and quickly released him and took a step back. Cassidy's eyes were lighting up with sadistic pleasure while Taranee waved with her fingers and mouthing "I'll miss you." at him. He gulped again and slowly turned around. Will was standing there with her hands in her hips and giving him a look that could freeze lava. She was now wearing a simple red tunic with black pants and brown boots. Her eyes were slightly lighting up.

'Hey Will.' Angelo said, trying to sound nonchalant but feeling scared.

'Nothing "Hey Will" !' she said as she poked him on his chest. 'Never heard of knocking?'

He trembled a bit at her tone.

'I just…wanted some advice.' he stammered.

Will turned her back on him.

'Then either get your advice elsewhere or come back later.' she said coldly.

'What?' Angelo said annoyed. After all, it wasn't his fault that she was standing in her underwear when he entered. 'You're the Oracle! You're supposed to give advice!'

Will turned around again, her eyes dangerously flashing.

'Then here's some advice!' she hissed. 'Scram and don't let me see you till tonight if you don't want to get incinerated!'

Instead of the fear he should have felt after hearing Will's threat he felt an anger rising.

'What sane person stands half naked in their tent in the middle of the day?' he asked angrily.

Will's glare became even colder as a soft glow emitted from her.

'Uh-oh.' Taranee muttered.

'I think we can scrape Angelo from the wall after this.' Cassidy said a bit concerned.

'A person who had a tough fight on another planet and took a bath after that!' Will said as she ignored Taranee and Cassidy.

'You got your ass kicked on another planet?' Angelo said with a hint of laughter in his voice. 'What happened? Did your Oracle powers fall out or something?'

'If I wasn't there for an alliance I would have kicked that guy's butt!' Will retorted.

'Yeah sure.' Angelo said. 'You're nothing special without those powers. I bet I could defeat you easily if you don't use your powers.'

'Oh yeah?' Will said finally. A smirk spread on her face. 'Then bring it on, Angel-not!'

'When and where Redpest?' Angelo retorted.

'Training field.' Will said. 'Now.'

Both then walked to the field while none of them said one word. Cassidy, Taranee, Caleb and some other rebels followed them out of curiosity or fear that one of them would hurt the other too much. The two took their spot on the grounds and stared each other down, both angry with the other. The rebels who had followed them were standing around the field and were getting very excited.

Will and Angelo bowed to each other before assuming battle stances. There was no movement for some time in which the two friends stared each other down. The tension was tangible and none of the onlookers dared to move. Some even held their breath. Then Angelo made his move. He ran at Will with a battle cry and threw a punch at her. Will dodged the punch and tried to knee him in his stomach. Angelo blocked her knee and created some distance between them. He then followed with a kick to Will's stomach. Will ducked and tried to kick his leg, making him fall. Angelo saw it coming and jumped forward tackling Will. Will kicked him off her and got up. Angelo got up as well and both charged at each other, both uttering another battle cry. Their fists collided and both were still eyeing the other with a death glare. As they kept their fists connected they tried to kick each other simultaneously but both blocked the attack. They jumped away from each other and Angelo had a cocky smile on his face.

'If this is all you've got than I get why you got your ass whooped on that other planet.' he said.

'Are you finally done with your warming up?' Will asked him nonchalantly. 'Cause from here on I'm going all out.'

'As if you could do better than this.' Angelo retorted.

'I can kick your ass everyday of the week. Starting today.' Will said.

'Give up already!' Angelo said annoyed.

'I'm sorry but that word is not in my dictionary.' Will said as she prepared for another attack.

'Then I'm going to teach you it!' Angelo said as he did the same.

Both ran again at each other and started to exchange blows. But every punch or kick they threw was blocked by the other. As they raged on more rebels came to look.

'What's going on?'

Taranee looked down and saw G.E.N.I.E. looking interested at the fight.

'Angelo and Will have a little spar.' Cassidy said, making it sound as if it was just an innocent exchange between friends.

'Seems more like they are trying to kill the other.' Ilana said with a raised eyebrow.

'It's nothing.' Taranee said.

Suddenly a collective "oe" was heard and Taranee looked back at the fight. It seemed that Angelo had managed to hit Will in the stomach. Will quickly recovered and kicked Angelo in the same spot, making him lose his breath.

'Go Angelo!' Cassidy yelled.

Other rebels quickly joined in and they were now either cheering for Will or Angelo.

'Go Will!' Natasha, Ilana and Georgi yelled.

'Go Angelo!' Edeline and Ehren cheered.

Both friends grinned at each other as they kept exchanging blows. The longer they fought the more hits they could land on each other. Will managed to hit Angelo on his eye while Angelo hit her on the mouth. They again separated and panted as they kept their gaze on each other.

'Tired yet?' Angelo panted.

'You wish!' Will replied.

A sudden tension appeared. Everyone who was looking at the two could see small auras coming from them. They could feel that the magic that was in them was vibrating, longing to get out. But Will and Angelo kept their magic in check. Both charged at each other, trying to end their fight. Will punched at Angelo but Angelo ducked and kicked her legs, making her fall to the ground. Will pulled him with her and he ended up on top of her. Will pushed him off her but she couldn't move anymore. They had given their all and were too tired to move. The rebels that had been looking were either cheering or booing. Most of them went back to work while Taranee, Cassidy, Caleb and G.E.N.I.E. went to them. Will and Angelo were looking at the ceiling when they saw their friends surrounding them.

'Are you two alright?' Cassidy asked.

Will and Angelo looked at each other. It was quiet as they waited for an answer from the two. They then started to laugh. Cassidy, Taranee, Caleb and GE.N.I.E. looked concerned at the two and each other.

'I think they damaged their brains.' Ehren said concerned.

'And here I was thinking that neither of them could get crazier.' Cassidy said while shaking her head.

'Hey!' Angelo and Will said with a glare.

'So are you guys alright?' Ilana asked.

'Yeah.' Angelo said as he slowly got up. 'It's just that this happened before.'

'What do you mean?' Cassidy asked.

'That we ended up fighting about something and I gave him a black eye while he gave me a thick lip.' Will said, still laying on the ground.

'So your guys are cool?' Taranee asked, eyeing the two cautiously.

'Sure. I think we've come to a compromise.' Angelo said as he helped Will up.

'And that is?' Caleb asked.

'Always ask permission to enter.' Angelo said.

'And keep calm when a guy looks at you while you're in your underwear.' Will added.

Both walked away smiling with each other.

'Oi! Where are you going?' Natasha asked.

'Taking a bath!' Angelo yelled back.

'And I'm going first!' Will yelled too.

'Like hell you are!' Angelo said. 'I'm the one who got the most hits!'

'Where is your courtesy?' Will asked him teasingly.

'I think you knocked that out of me.' Angelo answered.

Will hugged him suddenly.

'Will? What the?' Angelo asked confused.

She looked at him and he saw a glimmer of joy in her eyes. She then pushed him forcefully back, making him land on his butt.

'I'm first!' she yelled at him as she started to run.

'Not fair!' Angelo said as he scrambled up. 'You're cheating!'

'Try and stop me!' Will yelled at him.

Angelo laughed as he started to chase after her. It was just like old times. Cassidy, Taranee, Caleb and G.E.N.I.E. were staring at the two.

'Can you understand that we've got such a childish Oracle?' Caleb asked flabbergasted.

'I can.' Cassidy said. 'Besides they needed that. Nowadays there isn't much fun.'

'We've got you to replace the lost fun.' Taranee said with a smile as she placed an arm around Cassidy's shoulder.

'So…does this mean that they are a couple now?' Edeline asked interested.

Taranee and Cassidy noticed that Caleb tensed and acted quickly.

'Nah. They've been friends since the very start. This is quite normal for them.' Taranee said.

'And shouldn't you five be training?' Cassidy added.

The five girls smiled innocently at the three adults but when they saw that it wasn't helping they groaned.

'Aw come on!' Natasha moaned.

'We've been training non-stop!' Georgi added.

'And who lost a bet?' Caleb said as he eyes the five girls.

Their shoulders slumped and they continued their training, now being supervised by Caleb.

'Our life never gets normal, does it?' Taranee said with a sigh while Joel came walking to them.

Joel hugged Cassidy and she kissed him on his cheek. She then smiled at Taranee.

'Would you want to?' she asked.

Taranee smiled back when she saw Nigel approaching. She walked to him and hugged him as well.

'Never.' she said with a smile.

* * *

><p><em><strong>[AN] And another ending. I thought, after a day with Hay-Lin, why not a day with the rebels? Anyway, don't think that Caleb thinks that Will will be locked up once they won the war. It's more like he thinks he will never see her again because of her new duties. And I bet some of you were pretty pissed at Cassidy because of her perfect timing. Anyways Review!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Angelo sighed. He was standing against one of the pillars and looked at the ground. The rebels from the Phobos' rebellion had apparently found a hidden area with a hot spring. The rebellion of now was using it as a spot to relax or to bathe. And he had the intension on doing just that if it wasn't for Will being quicker than him. Now he was bound to wait until she was done. He had no intention of going through the same situation as before.

*But you can't say you didn't like it.* a traitorous voice in his head said.

He had to smile when he heard that. He quickly tried to suppress his smile and that thought but then the image of Will half naked was popping up again. He felt his cheeks redden and tried to suppress the image.

*Why am I trying to forget that I've seen Will half naked.* he thought. *I'm a man. It's perfectly normal that I like to see that.*

Then another thought came to mind.

*On the other hand…Will can now read minds…And I don't want her to know that I've been thinking about her half naked. Being called a pervert is one thing but I don't want to insult her.*

*_To be honest, it's kinda flattering that you're thinking of me that way.* _Will's voice rang through his head.

Angelo's blush deepened immensely as he looked around. He then figured out that Will was speaking to him through telepathy.

*_Do you mind?*_ he thought, knowing that she was still there.

*_I do but those images were so vivid that I wouldn´t be surprised if Taranee´s now blushing because of your fantasies. And then I´m not even talking about Mandy._* Will said with a slight hint of a laughter.

Angelo´s blush deepened even more, reaching a color of red he didn´t know he could reach.

*_Would you please just go away?*_ he asked her.

*_Sure. But tell Nerissa that she can come in too. It's kinda boring here.*_ Will said before Angelo felt that she cut the link.

*Nerissa?* he thought. *What did she mean with that?*

'Still daydreaming about Will?'

Angelo jumped when he heard the voice and looked around. He saw Nerissa looking at him with a big smirk on her face and a towel around her hips and torso. He blushed again as he shook his head.

'What? No!' he said.

He then narrowed his eyes and looked at Nerissa.

'Why would you think that?' he then said.

Nerissa giggled before waving airily in the air with her hand.

'Oh? Don't you know?' she said, faking surprise. 'Cassidy and Taranee are giving the heads up on why you and Will were trying to kill each other. You saw her naked and then went on gossiping? You're quite naughty.'

Angelo clenched his fists while again being surprised by the evil of the female mind.

'Just wait until I get my hands on those two.' he breathed angrily. 'And to my defense, I only saw her in her underwear. Not naked.'

Nerissa giggled as she placed her hands on his shoulders, relaxing him.

'Don't worry. I know Cassidy long enough to know that most of it was made up.' she said. 'Besides, let them be. In these times there isn't much to laugh about, so this little drama is a good opportunity to lighten the mood.'

'So I'm the laughing stock now?' Angelo asked with a faked sad expression.

'Don't worry. It'll blow over. It always will.' Nerissa said before she looked at the floor where the hidden entrance to the springs was.

'So…is someone in there that you're waiting for?' Nerissa asked pointing at the floor.

'Well…You see after our fight, Will and I decided to take a bath.' Angelo explained.

'And Will won the race?' Nerissa finished with a smile.

'With cheating yeah.' Angelo said a little annoyed.

'That's good.' Nerissa said as she walked to the pillar with the handle to open the hidden door. 'That means I can just go in.'

'Wow! Wait a sec!' Angelo said before Nerissa pulled the handle.

Nerissa looked at him with a questioning look.

'What?' she asked.

'Well…Don't you think she deserves some privacy? I mean, you women don't normally bathe together, right?' Angelo said, hoping he could annoy Will a bit by stopping Nerissa from going down. It would be a small revenge, but it was one nonetheless.

Nerissa raised an eyebrow.

'For your information, we women always bathe together. Because if we would go one at the time it would take an entire day before you guys could go. Not that you would mind. I think that I'm going to talk to Taranee and Caleb considering the personal hygiene of the men in the rebellion.' Nerissa said pondering.

'Yeah…but Will is the Oracle.' Angelo said, trying to stop Nerissa.

'And why would that stop me?' Nerissa asked. 'The only difference between me and her are her powers and that ridiculous tattoo on her head.'

'And the one on her back.'

Nerissa and Angelo turned around to see Mandy walking to them, also wearing a towel around her hips and torso.

'Hey guys.' she said. 'Going to take a bath?'

'No, I like standing in a towel in the Infinite City while talking to a guy.' Nerissa said sarcastically.

'Okay, then it's alright.' Mandy said with a grin, making Angelo chuckle and Nerissa roll her eyes.

'Hey Mandy. But what did you say? Will has a tattoo on her back?' Angelo said, feeling his interest perk.

The two women smiled at each other.

'You can ask her.' Mandy said.

'But after you told her the story behind your scar.' Nerissa said.

Angelo unconsciously rubbed his torso, feeling the lines of his scar.

'I think she already knows. I mean I'm quite sure that she has already read my mind.' he said a little sad.

The sound of the opening of the hidden entrance woke him out of his train of thoughts. He looked up and saw Mandy pulling the handle and Nerissa looking sympathetically at him.

'Even after knowing her so long you still don't get her, huh?' Mandy said with a smile before walking down the stairs towards the springs.

She stopped half way and looked at Angelo.

'Oh yeah. I need to thank you for those vivid images of Will. Taranee and I were reaching new colors of red, you know that? Even Ilana managed to pick it up and boy. Is she busy telling it to the rest of the rebellion.'

Angelo groaned out of displeasure while Nerissa chuckled.

'But anyway, getting back to the previous topic. She only read your mind till the point of when you went to Erutan. She didn't go any further for that would break your privacy. She did the same with Cass, Joel, Andrew and Mandy.' Nerissa explained to him.

'How do you know that?' he asked her.

'I think because she has the hots for my son that she tells me certain things. This was one of those things.' she said with a smirk. 'But between you and me. I don't mind the extra attention.'

'Oh.' Angelo said, not knowing if he should be disappointed or not with the news that Will liked Caleb.

It was not something he didn't know. He knew from the moment he'd returned to the rebellion that Will was crushing on Caleb. He might had known it before she went to Great Britain, when she broke up with Matt. But somewhere in his mind or heart, he wasn't quite sure where, he felt that he didn't care. Because she wasn't the one he was longing for.

While he was having his inner turmoil he didn't notice that Nerissa was moving. She took his chin gently and made him look at her.

'Don't be sad, Angelo. You're not meant for her. Your role is to be a friend she can't replace. A friend who will support her always. Just like Joe's was.' she said.

Angelo smiled at her, feeling a bit relieved.

'Thanks Nissa.' he said.

Nerissa stood on her toes and kissed him on his forehead. She then made a small cross on it with her thumb.

'No problem.' she said as she walked to the stairs. 'You know, seeing you and Will reminds me of me and Joe.'

She waved at him before the entrance closed. He waved back until he realized something. Will was someone who loved water, so it was only natural for her to take a long bath. But if you added Mandy and Nerissa to that equation…

'That means they are going to stay there for hours!' Angelo said frustrated, knowing that he'd been tricked.

A couple of hours passed, in which Angelo finally gave up waiting for the three women to come out. He had gone to Edeline, Ehren and Caleb to ask them to help him. Edeline had created a cylinder of stone around him and Ehren had been showering him with water. Caleb was there to make sure that the girls would behave themselves and to watch over Angelo's towel and clothes. Angelo had then retrieved his clothes after Edeline made the water stream out of the cylinder. He had quickly put a towel around him before Edeline dropped the cylinder completely. After thanking the three he went to his tent. He took some fresh clothes that consisted out of a simple Earth T-shirt and some jeans. He laid them on his bed and he put on some fresh boxer shorts.

'Knock, knock.' a voice said from behind the canvas. 'Can I come in?'

Angelo smiled. Leave it to Will to rub his minor forgetfulness in his face.

'Sure.' he said as he turned to his bed.

Will entered and moaned slightly.

'God! Angelo, couldn't you at least wear pants?' she moaned.

'You know, I don't mind to be seen in my underwear.' Angelo said a little teasingly.

'Very funny.' Will said, having caught his small joke.

She then stopped moving. She looked surprised at Angelo's chest and he knew she was looking at his scar. He saw how her eyes traced the lines until she focused on his face.

'When did that happen?' she asked him concerned.

Angelo unconsciously rubbed over his scar while he looked at Will.

'This? I got that the night Uncle John, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Kadma got murdered.' he said.

Will's eyes widened and she silently went to sit on his bed. She looked at him, encouraging him to continue speaking. He put on his pants before sitting next to her and he looked her in the eyes.

'It happened three years after you left for Great Britain. Uncle John and I had been asked to join Hay-Lin's mafia but we declined. She kept asking a couple of times but we declined every time. Then the threatening came. We ignored them as well. Uncle John and I had decided to search for the ongoing rebellion and to watch Hay-Lin in case she became too powerful. Then it happened.' Angelo stopped as he went through the memories of that faithful night.

_Flashback_

'What? She already has control over fifteen states?' Angelo asked unbelieving.

John nodded grimly.

'I can't believe that she got that powerful in mere months.' Angelo said as he sat down in one of the chairs.

'There is still hope Angelo.' Kadma said to her grandson.

'Oh yeah? In case you didn't notice, two of the former Guardians are enthralled by Hay-Lin, one is starting a rebellion and one is blissfully unaware of the things that are happening!' Angelo said, growing a little frightened.

Grandpa Joe placed a hand on his shoulder.

'Come on boy. That's no way to talk. As long as there is someone who can stand up to her there is hope. And when we find a way to contact Will we can ask her for help.' he said.

Angelo smiled at his grandfather.

'You're right.' he said. 'I just can't believe things went this bad.'

'No one can, son.' Uncle Joe said. 'I would have never thought that sweet Hay-Lin would turn into such a villain.'

Right then the door got slammed in. Angelo, Kadma, Joe and John got up and looked around. Windows were thrown in and from every opening people came in, armed with knives, guns and bats. John acted quickly and pulled some swords from the display and threw them to Angelo and his father. They unsheathed the weapons and a fight ensued. The three Vanders men fought hard and Kadma aided by using her magic.

'Kadma stop it! It uses your life force!' Joe called to his wife.

Kadma was panting but then used her magic to blow one of the attackers away with a telekinetic blast.

'Sorry, but I rather die of overusing my magic than at the hands of these guys!' she said to him with a weak smile.

They fought bravely but in the end there were too much hitmen. Angelo was being hold and he witnessed how his grandparents and his uncle got murdered. Anger was filling him when he heard the hitmen laughing about his expense. He tried to struggle free but they hit him in his gut, making him nearly go unconscious. He then saw that the leader of the assassins walked to the stove. He pulled out the dagger that was used to kill his family and he started heating it up above the stove. When the dagger was glowing faint red he turned to Angelo, with a smile on his face.

'You should feel lucky, Lin-sama wanted to give you a little present before departing.' he said with a Japanese accent.

Two assassins ripped his shirt open while others made sure he couldn't move. The leader than placed the dagger on his chest and started to draw something with it on his chest. Angelo screamed in pain and agony as he felt the burning hot metal cut his skin as if it were butter. When the leader was done the assassins who were holding him, threw him on the ground.

'You should have joined Lin-sama.' the leader said. 'But now you are too late.'

Angelo, with tears in his eyes, saw how the assassins went away. He looked one more time at his dead relatives but then he started to crawl. He needed to get out of his house. He needed to find someone who could help him or else he would die too. He had managed to crawl to the door when he heard a very familiar and scaring sound. It was a beeping sound that made his heart throb harder. He crawled faster but then the beeping stopped. A giant explosion followed, blowing him from his house and against a car.

*Is this my end?* Angelo thought sadly. *Dying like a stray dog?*

But just before he fell unconscious he could make out the figure of three people.

'Taranee? Cassidy? Nigel?' he muttered before falling completely unconscious.

_Present_

'They took me to the rebel base in Heatherfield and nursed me back to health. Now I just walk with this scar on my chest and in my mind.' Angelo finished.

Will had sat silently next to him while he explained his story behind his scar. Her eyes had widened and she had gasped at some points but looked mostly unfazed. Angelo suspected that Will had seen a lot of this behavior during her time with Hay-Lin. She again traced his scar.

'Earth.' she muttered.

'Excuse me?' Angelo said as he looked at Will's finger.

'Did Cassidy or Caleb or anyone else never tell you what this sign was?' Will asked him.

'No.' he answered. 'I thought it was just a random thought of that guy.'

'No, it's the Kandrakarian sign of Earth.' Will said as she shook her head. 'As a sort reminder to your grandmother.'

Angelo scowled when he heard that. So Hay-Lin had tortured him more than he'd thought after all.

'That explains the knife though.' Will said softly.

'What do you mean?' Angelo asked her.

Will looked rather uncomfortable at Angelo.

'You see…Hay-Lin has this trophy room. I only went in once but I can remember this knife with bloodstains on it. I never asked her why she had that dagger there, but this certainly explains it.' Will said a little uncomfortable.

Angelo looked at her with shock. Hay-Lin kept the dagger that killed his family? His fist clenched as he gritted his teeth. Then a thought came to mind.

'Why were you in Hay-Lin's trophy chamber anyway?' he asked.

Will looked sadly at him. He had a feeling that this was something as hurtful as his own story.

'Do you remember, all those years ago? Before we gave up being Guardians?' Will asked. 'When Hay-Lin got herself a tattoo of the Kandrakarian symbol of Air on her back?'

'You mean that swirly sign?' he asked. 'Yeah, why?'

'Well…Hay-Lin thought that it would be a good idea for the whole world to show everyone who the "true" Guardians of Kandrakar are. After enthralling Irma and Cornelia she made sure that both got a tattoo of their own element on their back. When Taranee killed her family she fell unconscious. When she woke up she found out that Hay-Lin had tattooed the symbol of fire on her back. She then managed to escape. You can ask her.' Will said sadly.

Angelo looked flabbergasted at Will before realization started to dawn.

'That means…that you got one too?' he asked her.

Will nodded sadly and turned around. She then hoisted her T-shirt up so he could see her back. On the middle of her back was a big, pink equal sign. The sign looked more like a yin-yang sign being split. He placed his hand on it, feeling that she slightly shivered under his touch. He traced it before she lowered her T-shirt again.

'Hay-Lin had made pictures of our backs and I had the privilege to bring my own picture to her trophy room. That's when I saw the dagger.' Will finished.

'So it seems that we're both scarred for life.' Angelo said with a weak smile.

'So it seems.' Will said, answering his with her own smile.

Then, without a warning, Will kissed him. He was shocked by the sudden kiss but accepted it. Somewhere inside of him, he felt that this was wrong and quickly ended the kiss. Will didn't look confused at him and even smiled at him and he saw small lights twinkle in her eyes. He, on the other hand, felt confused.

'How do you feel now?' she asked him, a smirk playing on her lips.

'How do I feel? How would you feel when your best friend suddenly kisses you out of nowhere, and after you told a very dark story?' he asked, feeling terribly awkward.

'Tell me.' Will said, completely ignoring his remark. 'Do you love me?'

Angelo backed away, feeling terribly threatened. Will had to laugh at his action. Why were women this scary and menacing? Why?

'I…I…' Angelo stuttered, making Will laugh even more.

'Don't worry. You won't insult me.' she told him. 'You wanted advice on your love life, right? You had the feeling that you were loving someone you couldn't remember, right?'

'Yeah, but why the sudden kiss?' Angelo asked confused.

'Be honest, you don't love me. That was a silly crush from long ago.' Will told him simply.

Angelo closed his mouth and thought about Will's words. Now that she'd mentioned it he didn't feel any of his former love feelings for Will anymore.

'You're…right.' he said stunned.

'Duh, hello! I'm the Oracle, course I'm right.' she said as she rolled her eyes.

'Don't get cocky now, Vandom.' Angelo said with a smile.

Will playfully stuck her tongue out before she continued.

'Tell me. What are you thinking about when you look at Lilian?' she asked him seriously.

'I…uhm…' Angelo said while getting a little red.

'Yes?' Will said while a smirk spread on her face.

'I think of how much she looks like Cornelia.' Angelo started slowly.

'And?' Will urged.

'And…how beautiful Cornelia was and is…' Angelo said before he widened his eyes in shock and started to shake his head. 'No way! I can't!'

'Can't what?' Will said, liking Angelo's reaction.

'Are you telling me….that I love Cornelia?' Angelo asked stunned.

'Ding ding ding! We have a winner!' Will said with a smile as she clapped for him.

'That's impossible.' Angelo muttered. 'I can't love her. I mean, okay she's good looking and caring and cute and…'

'It sounds to me that you do like her.' Will said while checking her nails.

'But I've only seen her when she had to attack me or someone else of the rebellion! I didn't have one normal conversation with her in years!' Angelo argued. 'Who says that she didn't change? Who says that she's still the same Cornelia?'

Will looked at him and then hit his nose with a finger.

'No one can tell you that.' she said annoyed. 'Hello, the girl's been enthralled for four years! But you can figure out if she's still the same Corny. Just wait and you'll find out. Patience is always rewarded.'

'I can't…' Angelo said in disbelieve, while the monster inside of him started spinning every time Cornelia came to mind.

'Suit yourself.' Will said with a shrug. 'Now if you would excuse me, I've got something else to do considering my own love li...'

Angelo, who was spacing out on his memories of Cornelia, noticed that Will was standing still in his tent, her eyes wide open. He got off his bed and walked to her. He shook her a little before she blinked a couple of times. She then looked at him with a look of horror on her face.

'Uh-oh.' he said. 'That face of yours means that there is trouble.'

'Well, I've got bad news, horrible news and good news.' she said. 'What do you want to hear first?'

'Start with the bad news.' Angelo said, feeling very uneasy.

'The bad news is that Malcolm has been captured by Hay-Lin and that he's being tortured for three days if you count today.' Will started.

'Say what?' Angelo said shocked.

'The horrible news is that Marcus is now trying to save him and that he has no way out.' Will continued.

Angelo stared at her with his mouth wide open.

'The good news is that I can open a fold and teletransport us out of there.' she ended.

Angelo looked at her stunned. His mind having trouble keeping up with the new information. Will sighed and opened a fold. She then pushed him through it before jumping through it herself.

_Hay-Lin's HQ: the torture rooms. A couple of minutes earlier._

Malcolm was going mad. He just knew he was. Today, the third day of torture had ended. Yesterday Hay-Lin tried to get the information out of him by using the Fire element as a torture device. She first boiled him lightly, saying that it would be a nice switch from water to fire. When he didn't say anything she continued with having flames lick his feet. Malcolm was sure of one thing. He would never be able to walk again. When that didn't seem to make him talk she punished him more or less with abacination. Only she didn't cover both his eyes with a red hot metal plate. No, she only blinded his left eye. And to make things worse, she had the Kandrakarian symbol of fire placed on it, which was now burnt into his skin on his left eye. Malcolm was also sure that he couldn't open that eye, feeling that his eyelids had melt together. Even if he could open it he was sure that he was blind there. After that she left him again under the Chinese water torture machine, saying that she liked the method. He, then again, had to watch how the ice cold water drops fell from the sack in an irregular pace. Today she woke him up roughly. He had apparently been screaming in the night. But today she used the element Earth. At first he thought he was save, there weren't many torture methods that used earth and he doubted that Hay-Lin knew of them. But then she surprised him with the torture technique Kia quen. He had to sit on chains while his hands were bound behind his back. The technique consisted of positioning three wooden or bamboo boards, connected by rope, around and between his bare feet. The construction of the device enabled the boards to be snapped open and closed. Each time he refused to confess, the rope was pulled smartly and the boards whacked sharply at his ankles. If he thought he could walk after the fire torture than he was now completely sure that he couldn't do it anymore. But just before she wanted to use another method a loud explosion was heard. Hay-Lin and Uriah both went upstairs and Malcolm cried silently, thanking God for the interruption. He wasn't sure if he could hold on any longer. He started to praise the Lord even more when he saw that his brother had come to save him.

Marcus, together with some of his friends and family who were now the Earth rebellion, had come to save him. While the majority of the rebels were throwing bombs at the house Marcus had snuck in. He quickly found his brother.

'Malcolm?' he said shocked. 'What happened to you?'

Malcolm, however, couldn't answer. He was scared that this was just a dream and if he spoke that the dream would end and that he would wake up while watching how a water drop would fall on his head. Marcus hurried to his brother and shot at the chains that tied his brother to the table. He slowly took Malcolm from the table and Malcolm started to cry in his arms like a little kid.

'It's really you!' he cried. 'I thought you were an illusion!'

Marcus, who was shocked about the state his brother was in, was slowly petting his back, making sure he wasn't accidentally hurting him.

'Isn't that sweet?'

Both brothers immediately reacted to the voice. Malcolm cowered a bit, yet still having the look of defiance on his face as he faced Hay-Lin. Marcus pointed his gun at Hay-Lin, glaring her to death. Hay-Lin stood there with her arms crossed.

'And what are you planning to do now?' she asked them calmly.

Marcus looked around. The only way out was past Hay-Lin and he was pretty sure he wasn't going to get there. He also knew that his gun wasn't going to save him from Hay-Lin, but it gave him a little feeling of safety.

'You have nowhere to go and Cornelia and Irma and my guards are busy stopping your rebel friends…' Hay-Lin continued before a smile split her face. 'In fact, they're already caught.'

As if on cue a green light appeared. Irma and Cornelia appeared together with all the people Marcus had taken with him. They looked apologetically at him and Marcus could only nod at them.

'I love it when a plan comes together.' Hay-Lin said before she started cackling, sending shivers up the spines of everyone present.

She stopped when a fold appeared next to the two Vanders brothers. Another African-American fell out of it, only being clad in jeans. She recognized the scar on the chest of the man and scowled at him. Her mood even worsened when a woman with bright red hair jumped out of the fold.

'Angelo. Will.' Hay-Lin said coldly while looking at two of her former friends.

'How's it hangin'?' Will asked her with a smile, completely mocking her.

Angelo ignored her as he was being hugged by his cousins. Malcolm was actually squeezing him to make sure he was real too.

'What are you doing here?' Hay-Lin asked Will coldly.

'Why such a hostility?' Will asked her airily. 'Aren't we all friends?'

The Heart of Dreadmore started to shine furiously and Hay-Lin shot a blast of magic at Will. Will blocked the attack easily while shaking her head.

'That wasn't nice.' she said. 'But anyway, we're just here to pick something up. And guess what? We already have it. So, till next time!'

Will waved with her hand before teletransporting away. And with her, Angelo, Marcus, Malcolm and the other rebels disappeared as well. Hay-Lin looked through her now empty torture room. She was quite sure that Will had also taken the other rebels who had been locked up. She roared out in anger while she let her power flow freely. A tornado appeared in the torture room, throwing everything through the room and banging Cornelia and Irma against the walls.

Will and the others were already far away, save from Hay-Lin's fury. Will had teletransported them to Malcolm's home, knowing it was big enough and knowing that his wife and children were worried about him. But before they entered she used a small spell to let the kids fall asleep. She didn't want to scar them mentally. When they entered Marcus and Angelo were carrying Malcolm into the living room. Malcolm's wife, Leona, had seen them appear and quickly entered the living room.

'Malcolm! Oh Malcolm!' she cried.

She hugged her husband until he moaned in pain. She wanted to let go of him but he hugged her as tightly as she had done to him.

'Leona.' he whispered hoarsely. 'You're here. You're save.'

Both cried in each other while savoring the hug. Will and Angelo weren't exactly looking at the touching scene. Both were busy with healing the tortured rebels or being thanked for the rescue.

'Hey dude, one question.' Marcus asked as Angelo was busy healing the infected slashes on a guy's back.

'Mmm-hmm.'

'Why are you only wearing pants?' Marcus asked him. 'Were you and Willy over there busy before saving us?'

Both Angelo and Will reddened but they quickly recovered.

'N-No. I was busy dressing myself after taking a bath when Will came barging in, claiming that you guys needed to get your asses saved.' Angelo lied a bit.

' Right.' Marcus said, not really convinced. 'But thanks that you showed up. I hadn't exactly thought the rescue plan through.'

'Who needs plans when you can barge in like a moron?' Will muttered under her breath.

When Angelo and Will had finished healing the wounds of the rebels they went to Malcolm. He was still hugging his wife.

'Malcolm. We need to heal your wounds.' Will said softly.

Malcolm slowly released his wife and looked thankful at Will, Angelo and his brother. Will placed her finger on his head. Angelo had to think back on how Hay-Lin re-enthralled Irma a year ago. Malcolm's eye fluttered close and he fell asleep on the couch.

'Don't worry, he's sleeping.' Will said to Leona, who was eyeing him with concern. 'That way the healing will go faster.'

Leona nodded slowly as she watched how Angelo and Will went to work. Angelo started healing Malcolm's feet while Will did his head. More rebels came to look, scared for Malcolm's health. Marcus was standing next to Leona, who was holding him close. Slowly but surely Malcolm's wounds started to heal. His feet weren't crushed or burnt anymore. The slashes that were on his legs and back were slowly disappearing. His eyelids defused and Will told Leona that he would be capable of looking through it. The only thing that they didn't manage to heal was the symbol of fire on his eyelid. How hard Will and Angelo tried they didn't manage. Will guessed that Yan-Lin had fused the metal plate that Hay-Lin had used, making it almost impossible to heal the sign away. Malcolm was sleeping soundly and Leona led Will, Angelo and her brother-in-law to the kitchen, where she made some coffee. The other rebels either waited next to the sofa or found themselves a place to sleep.

'How can I ever thank you for bringing my husband back and healing him?' Leona asked the trio.

'Don't thank me.' Marcus said. 'Thank these two. My cousin and a dear friend of the family.'

'Don't do that.' Angelo said, waving away any glory. 'Will sensed the danger and we just came to help.'

'And we weren't capable of healing everything. He will have a couple of mental scars that will take their time in healing.' Will said sadly.

Leona still seemed to want to do something to show her gratitude but Will placed a hand on her shoulder.

'Leona, please.' she said. 'You don't have to thank us. Malcolm is someone who is very dear to us, we couldn't do anything but save him.'

Leona hugged Will and cried in her chest. Will smiled softly as she accepted the woman's hug. She then looked at Marcus.

'So you and your brother are causing havoc on Earth?' she asked.

'When you say it, it sounds so bad.' Marcus said. 'And it isn't just us. The whole Vanders family has started a rebellion to stop Hay-Lin.'

'And here you see that your family only brings trouble.' Will said with a sigh to Angelo.

Angelo shrugged in response.

'Haven't heard you complain about it.' he said.

Leona stopped hugging Will and apologized herself. She then went to the living room to watch over her husband.

'So….how's the main rebellion doing it?' Marcus asked.

'We live.' Angelo said. 'Though now with an Oracle on our side, things have been going better. Though this Oracle should watch her tricks.'

Marcus laughed uneasily.

'But Marcus, we have to go back. They'll get worried or another rumor will spread. And I rather don't have any of those two happening.' Will said as she got up.

'Besides I'm freezing.' Angelo said as he shivered a bit.

Marcus laughed again before giving a hand to Angelo.

'It was nice seeing you again, cousin.' he said.

'Same.' Angelo said with a smile.

Angelo went to say goodbye to the other rebels and Marcus went to Will, who got one extra hug from Leona, who was still crying out of happiness. Marcus looked a little awkward at Will while pointing at her head.

'So….Oracle huh?' he asked her clumsily.

She smiled at him and pointed at his unshaved beard.

'So…Still single huh?' she teased.

Marcus laughed with her and extended his hand, wanting to give Will a hand.

'What? You don't mind joking about me but you think you don't deserve to hug me because of my status?' she asked him fake hurt.

Marcus shuffled a bit and blushed too.

'I…uh…' he said.

Will smiled at him and hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back.

'I'm glad that you're doing well.' he said.

'I'm glad you're still alive.' she replied.

Both separated and held each other's hand, ending with a hand shake. Angelo was waiting for them to finish and for Will to open the fold. They waved one last time at the rebels.

'Till next time.' Will said.

She then opened a fold and both she and Angelo went through it. When it closed Leona looked questioningly at the place where the fold was.

'Next time? What did she mean by that?' she questioned.

'I've got a vague idea.' Marcus said with a smile as he looked at the stone and paper in his hand.

_At the rebel base in Meridian_

'So you are sure they were here?' Taranee questioned.

She, Cassidy, Lilian, Chris, Napoleon and Caleb were standing in front of Angelo's tent. They had been searching for Angelo or Will but it seemed as if they had disappeared into thin air.

Chris nodded heavily.

'Yeah, they were talking about Angelo's love life and stuff. Then Caleb came and caught me on spying on them.' he explained.

'He is right. You shouldn't spy on them.' Cassidy scolded.

Chris crossed his arms.

'So what? It wasn't as if they were doing something interesting.'

'You learned way too much from Irma.' Taranee said as she shook her head.

A blue light shone in the tent. The group looked in and saw how Will and Angelo stepped through the fold.

'Will! Angelo! Where were you?' Taranee asked.

Will and Angelo looked tiredly at them. The day had been a busy one and the two of them were done for. The healing of the rebels and Malcolm had literally seeped the last of their energy away. Will walked to Caleb and hugged him close.

'Will?' Caleb asked confused.

'Don't say anything. Just hold me.' she whispered.

He obeyed the command and held Will close to him. Taranee, Cassidy, Lilian and Chris were shooting Angelo questioning looks while Napoleon licked his fur.

'I think that the two of us just realized how precious those who we love are.' Angelo said with a tired smile.

A rhythmic breathing was heard and Will had fallen asleep in Caleb's arms. Caleb smiled softly as he took Will up in bridal style.

'I think I bring her to her bed.' he said softly.

The group watched how Caleb brought Will away. Angelo yawned loudly and walked to his bed.

'Yeah, I'm hitting the bed too.' he said.

But before he could step in bed he found his sheets frozen. He turned to Cassidy angrily.

'Cassidy! I want to go to sleep!' he told her.

Cassidy and Taranee then adapted the same position. Both with their hands on their hips and looking at him intensely. Lilian quickly followed her lead while Chris crossed his arms. Napoleon went to lay at Lilian's feet.

'That will have to wait.' Taranee said demanding. 'First you'll tell us where the two of you had gone to.'

'Can't that wait?' Angelo asked pleadingly.

'Forget it hotshot. These two will eat you alive if you don't answer them.' Napoleon said with a happy flick of his tail.

Angelo rubbed his head and sighed out of frustration. Will had managed to dodge the torture of Cassidy and Taranee. A sudden memory popped in and that made him look angrily at the two. He placed his own hands in his hips and glared at the two.

'Then you two will be so kind to tell me why you start gossiping.' he said, impersonating Taranee's voice.

The two women turned red but kept glaring at him.

*This will take a while.* Angelo thought as Cassidy came with a comment.

Will and Caleb were having it a bit quieter. Caleb had brought Will to her tent and he had laid her down on her bed. He was now looking at her and how she was sleeping soundly. He bent forward to study her face. This was maybe one of those times he could get close without any immediate danger. Her face had changed over the years. Her features were more feminine than before but they seemed to make her face perfect for her. He softly pushed a bang of her beautiful red hair away. She scratched her nose slightly when some of the hairs tickled her face. He smiled and looked at her. His eyes slowly went down to her full and red lips. He knew that it would be better not to kiss her. He didn't want to take advantage of her, or create any suspicions. Instead he kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and he smiled at her.

'I love you, Will Vandom.' he whispered softly before getting up and walking away.

'I love you too.'

He was in time to see her say this, but he wasn't exactly sure if she was just dreaming or if she was awake. He hoped it was the last thing as he walked away, feeling happier than ever before.

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><p><em><strong>[AN] Cliché ending or not? But they are cute. Now we've had a day of Hay-Lin and a day of the rebels, though most was about Will and Angelo. But it's pretty difficult to think of a day schedule for those two groups. So I'll be continuing with the story next chapter. But Malcolm is fine, just mentally scarred for life but he'll survive. And yeah, I often made clear that Hay-Lin doesn't like to be referred to as Guardian because she thinks she's better than that, next to the fact that it is "Guardian" and not "Guardian Leader" a title which she now currently hates because of Will. But she is proud of her power over Air and it's symbol. The symbols on the other girls was mostly teasing and torturing. And what was that stone and letter Marcus had? From who did he get it and what was standing in that letter? Find out in the next chapter, where we finally are retrieving Corny and Irmy from the hell that is enthrallment. Also, don't get too fond of the lengths of the chapters. I'm not planning on making all of them this long.**_

_**Review!**_

_**And tell me if you've got any ideas on more WxC scenes or how Corny and Irmy will react when they come out of their enthrallment or how to weaken the spell enough to make the bracelets of the Warriors work. I've got some ideas, but I love to read yours.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**[A/N] Probably my longest chapter...**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

Days passed and the life in the rebellion seemed to have gone back to normal. Will didn't show any affection towards Caleb and Caleb had the nasty feeling that she was just sleeping when she said those words.

"I love you too."

Those words kept replaying in his mind. He couldn't help but think about it. Was Will really sleeping when she said that? If not, why didn't she approach him? He felt terribly lost. Why women were this difficult, was a mystery to him. Will seemed to act normal to him. The same as she ever did. Not too close but also not as just a friend. He caught himself daydreaming on certain occasions, angering Taranee, Mandy and sometimes G.E.N.I.E. Because whenever he started daydreaming, Taranee would pick up his thoughts. He wasn't exactly careful in hiding them. And according to an annoyed Nigel, he'd managed to ruin the mood a couple of times by daydreaming about Will. For as Taranee said: "It's hard to make out with Nigel if I receive an image of Will stripping or something like that."

Mandy only picked his thoughts up when she was close enough to him, for he didn't share the Warrior connection and Mandy's powers weren't as developed as Taranee's. Unfortunately for her, Caleb sometimes started daydreaming during dinner or breakfast. And she was the one who sat next to him most of the time. Eating became very difficult if you choke constantly when seeing a rather erotic image of Will.

Caleb, of course, was rather annoyed with three telepathic women walking around, not counting Ilana. His own mind was set against him whenever he had a particular dream. Taranee or Mandy never complained about other rebels. And Caleb was sure that some of them were worse than him. Will explained to him that because of his connection to Taranee and Mandy, the two had less problem with reading his mind than those of others. When she told him this he was almost literally burning to ask her if she really loved him, but something stopped him. He suspected it was his male pride that stood in the way, frustrating him even more.

As for G.E.N.I.E. If Caleb went to go look at them train it was mostly when Will was training them. Which would lead to him starting to fantasize. And sometimes those images would be so vivid, that they were powerful enough for Ilana to pick them up. Resulting in her starting to giggle uncontrollably and interrupting the training. As a punishment the girls received a dodge training, which meant that Will started shooting at them and that they had to dodge every projectile that she shot at them in human form. If a blast would hit them they felt a small "punch". This made the girls rather angry at Caleb and Caleb was banned for life to watch the girls train if Will trained them.

Caleb also knew that Will knew what he was thinking. But he'd never seen her blush or smile or even look angry at him. The only thing he knew she did was blocking his thoughts after a list of complaints from Taranee, Mandy and G.E.N.I.E. But she never spoke to him about it. Never warning him. Never complaining about it. She was just being herself and that was maybe what Caleb frustrated the most. She knew how he felt, the why wouldn't she react to it? If she didn't love him she could have told him that. But leaving him waver was just torture.

What Caleb didn't know was that Will was still doubting herself. She wasn't sure if her feelings were real and she didn't want to hurt Caleb more than she already had. And she was afraid of her future. She would become the Oracle, or die trying, but that meant that Caleb either had to stay in Kandrakar with her, throwing away his life, or stay heartbroken on Earth or Metamoor. But she also wanted to savor maybe her last moments with him. And then the problems that were roaming through the rebel base. She had to help different rebels with problems and advice, giving her less time to think of herself. There were days she wished none of this had ever happened. That this was one hell of a nightmare. But she knew it was real, making it maybe even worse. The thoughts of Caleb about her weren't it making any better. She knew he loved her, but she was too unsure to tell her feelings to him. When he'd brought her to bed and told her he loved her, the words just slipped out of her. She had no intention to say it. How could she ever be his girlfriend, if she could only hurt him?

Days were rarely peaceful but they enjoyed it. Both Will and Caleb struggled with their feelings but never showed it on the outside. Both Taranee and Angelo saw their friends struggle and both could do nothing more than sigh. They knew that both wouldn't quickly speak of their feelings. Both knew that Will had deeper problems than Caleb but they also knew that only the two of them could solve this problem. And they couldn't help them even though they wished they could. Again, five days after Will and Angelo's save of Malcolm and Marcus, a fold appeared. Only this time it opened on the training grounds, where not only normal rebels were training with their weapons but also G.E.N.I.E. , the Warriors of Erutan, Taranee, Caleb, Nerissa, Chris, Lilian, Napoleon, Tom Lair, Elizabeth Hale, Harold Hale, Anna Lair and Will.

Within seconds the fold was surrounded and the rebels were waiting for the arrivals. Several human looking people came from the fold. Most of them had blond hair though there were several with bright blue hair. The people immediately went into their own defensive stances when they saw the rebels. Several men went to protect two people. A man around his forties with blue hair and a boy around the age of 16 with blond hair. Will and Taranee recognized the man.

'Rebels, lower your weapons!' Taranee ordered. 'These people are our friends.'

She then walked to the pair. The guards around them raised their weapons until the man spoke.

'Don't. They are the ones we need.' he said.

The guards lowered their weapons and stood aside. The pair that they'd been protecting was now clearly visible. It was a man with short, blue hair with a long blue braid and grey eyes. he was wearing simple peasants clothes though the regal ring was something that showed he was of royalty. A broadsword hang on his back. The boy who was standing next to him was also wearing peasant clothes. His blond hair was done in the same style as the older man, short with one long braid. His blue eyes looked sadly at the group, though twinkled a bit when he seemed to recognize Taranee and Will. A long sword hang at his hips. The man walked at Taranee and kissed her hand.

'Guardian, it's nice to see you once again. Though I'd rather had it under other circumstances.' he said.

'Ari, it's nice to see you too.' Taranee said with a smile. 'I only have to ask you to stop calling me Guardian. I no longer am one. Just call me Taranee.'

Ari made a bow to her.

'As you wish.' he said.

The boy who was with him had walked to Will, tears evident in his face. Will had seen him coming and held her hand out, not sure if the boy would accept it. He smiled weakly at her as he took her hand.

'It's nice to see you again, ma'am.' he said, sadness evident in his voice.

Will sensed that he was close to crying and pulled him into a hug.

'You may cry, Maqi.' she whispered.

The boy quickly accepted this and cried softly in her. Will patted his back, faintly knowing what had transpired on Arkhanta. Ari walked to her. He looked sadly at his son before turning his gaze on her. He noticed the new sign but didn't seem surprised. He bowed for her before speaking.

'Oracle, may your light illuminate us in these dark times.' he said, getting strange stares from different rebels.

After all, no one had spoke to Will like that. They all were used in calling her by her name and joking with her, like a normal person. And still, Will was comforting Maqi while nodding to Ari.

'You may stand, Ari of Arkhanta.' she said solemnly.

Ari got up and looked at her.

'It has happened.' he said.

Will nodded at him and patted Maqi on his shoulder, making it clear that he had to break the hug. Maqi loosened himself from Will and went to stand with his father.

'Firstly, I welcome Ari of Arkhanta, his son Maqi and several Arkhantanians to our humble rebel headquarters.' Will said with a loud and solemn voice. 'I ask the rebels to take the women and children to the kitchen, giving them something to eat and some comfort. The guards and men that have joined their leader, please follow me. Warriors of Erutan, rebel leaders, Heart of Earth with her two Regents, the families of the former Water and Earth Guardians and the Guardians, please join us.'

With that she turned around. The Warriors of Erutan, G.E.N.I.E. , Napoleon, the families Hale and Lair, Taranee and Caleb immediately followed Will, wondering where she was planning to speak to so many people. The men from Arkhanta, guards and simple farmers, looked questioningly at their leader. Ari nodded before following Will. Maqi and the others quickly followed. Will led them to her tent, getting several questioning looks from her friends. She just motioned them to go in and they did. Will heard some of them gasp out of surprise but unfortunately, now was not a time for her to be amused about their reactions. As soon as the Arkhantanians entered her tent she went in as well.

The tent was at least ten times bigger than before. Will had used her magic to ensure that she could speak to the whole rebellion in her tent if need be. The tent still looked normal, except for the size that is, but there were more chairs than before and all were standing in a circle. When everyone was seated Will went to sit in the middle on her knees. She floated slightly, hearing a couple of thoughts like "showoff" and after that hearing Taranee telepathically scold them. She closed her eyes and calmed herself, knowing that this was her first time playing the Oracle part completely.

'Tell me what has transpired, Ari of Arkhanta.' she said.

Her voice carried a new tone in it. A tone of greater authority, of power yet of mercy. No one seemed to be scared of her. She even sensed the feeling of tranquility and peace settle in everyone around her. Her eyes focused on Ari as he got up from his chair and spoke.

'As you predicted, the former Guardian of Air has opened an attack on Arkhanta.' he said.

Taranee gasped but kept quiet as Ari continued.

'She has sent the former Guardian of Earth and Water to do her bidding.'

'She is not with them?' Will questioned.

'No. She only sent them.' Ari said.

Will nodded and motioned that Ari could continue.

'We didn't know they were on our planet. The Heart of Arkhanta had been shining, but due to my inexperience with a magical artifact, we knew too late of their arrival.'

Some guards of Ari were muttering. Telling their leader that it wasn't his fault. Ari raised a hand, calming his men down. He then continued.

'They have managed to gain control of the Banshee leader Yua and with her the whole Banshee population.'

'What's a Banshee?'

Everyone turned their heads to the source of the question. Many Arkhantanians gave the girl in question a look of dislike. How dared she to interrupt their leader? And so rudely in front of the Oracle. Will, however, smiled slightly as the behavior of the current Water Guardian resembled the behavior of her two latest predecessors. Ehren blushed furiously when she noticed that everyone's attention was on her. She glared at all of them and crossed her arms.

'Sorry, but I want to know what it is. I've got all rights to.' Will heard her mutter.

Before another Arkhantanian wanted to scold her for her insolence Will spoke.

'A legitimate question, though you could have asked after the lord of Arkhanta was done. And with excusing yourself first. But your drive to know things about your enemy is admirable.' she said, scolding and praising Ehren at the same time.

She then waved her hand. A woman like creature appeared before them. She had green hair and green eyes, but her eyes were malicious. The Banshee wore simple robes, covering her more female parts and her own skin was even greenish.

'Banshees are powerful evil spirits. Cruel and heartless creatures. Enemies of men who are hated as much as they are feared.' Will explained before making the image disappear.

Everyone's attention went back to Ari but before he could continue another voice disrupted the silence.

'I'm sorry.'

Ari turned around while Taranee got up. She looked apologetically at him and Will. Will nodded, allowing her to speak.

'May I ask how the Banshees were coaxed to Hay-Lin's side?' Taranee asked.

'I'm afraid I don't know.' Ari said. 'It is known that a Banshee is invulnerable to enthralling or any kind of magical hypnosis and that a Banshee has to be caught to grant three wishes. But Yua didn't seem caught.'

He gave Will a questioning look and Will sensed his question. She went through the memories of past Oracles, hoping to find an answer. She hated it that she had to rely on the memories of others. She hated it that she knew so little. A memory shot up and she felt as if she should hit herself of stupidity. There was one thing that could control the Banshees, for when the thing was made it wasn't intended to become a magical artifact, therefore dodging the rules. Another memory told her how Hay-Lin could have acquired it.

'There is an artifact to control living beings. Though it's original has been destroyed years ago, on the ground of this planet.' she said. 'During my Guardian days I've seen it and also was once under its spell.'

Taranee and Caleb gasped. They knew what artifact Will meant. The others kept looking at her, wanting to know what dangerous thing could control such a strong magical creature. Will again waved in the air and another image appeared. A golden and heavy looking horn appeared, making several look at it in wonder.

'That's just a lousy old horn.' Ehren said, making Will inwardly sigh at again a perfect imitation of Irma. It was kind of disturbing how much the child resembled Irma, even though she never met the un-enthralled version of her. 'What did they do? Play a lullaby or something?'

The other Guardians snickered softly, knowing all too well that laughing out loud would be rude. Ehren had a cocky smile which quickly washed away when she saw Caleb's glare.

'This, for people who are unfamiliar with it, is the Horn of Hypnos.' Will explained. 'It is said that it is made on Earth as a tribute to the Greek God to which the horn is named. It was meant to be a normal instrument, lulling people to sleep with its low yet soft tones. The Horn traveled through many lands and ended up in Great Britain during the Middle Ages of Earth. There several wizards, who were gifted in the art of magic, managed to translate the old Greek description on the Horn. It said: "Whoever blows me will gain power over the ones who hear me." They soon found out that the Horn could only be used as a normal instrument. They enchanted the Horn, ensuring that what the text said would be true. That it would really grant you power of those who heard its tone. They achieved this goal partly. The Horn would grant the one who blew it power over the minds of other beings, but on the condition that the Horn had to be pointed at the person in question. The Horn was rendered useless if the person in question had something in his or her ears, or if the person was deaf or if the Horn wasn't pointed at the subject.

The wizards had tried to control Great Britain with the Horn, only to be defeated by Arthur Escanor, who got the legendary name of Arthur Pendragon or also known as King Arthur in the legends of Earth.'

At this Taranee raised her eyebrows, finding this very interesting. Caleb and Ilana had reacted on the word "Escanor" seeing that it could only be one. Everyone looked breathless at Will as she continued.

'Arthur Escanor stopped the wizards and claimed the Horn of Hypnos. He then mysteriously disappeared on Earth, together with some of his knights and wife. They came across a rip in the Veil, which was put up because of a civil war in Metamoor. Arthur Escanor and his knights stopped the war, without the use of the Horn. He was crowned King and his wife Queen, yet he gave his power as King to his wife, stating that a woman should rule over these lands. The Queen was imbued with the Heart of Metamoor and all seemed well. There was a conspiracy against the Queen and Arthur. They stole the Horn of Hypnos, after learning about its power and they intended to use it on the Queen to show the Meridianites and other Metamorians that a woman on the throne was a disaster. The Guardians of that time tried to stop them, resulting of having two of them turning into "Trans-Marchers". Arthur Escanor and his wife were desperate for these two Guardians laid waste to the lands. And with one of these Guardians being the Keeper of the Heart was making it even worse because she and the Guardian of Fire were transformed when attacking. Some of the Meridianites showed the King and Queen the Infinite City, breaking the laws of showing any outsiders this City. The two Escanors pleaded with the Mage, desperately asking her a way to stop the Horn. The Mage created a tune, which would break the spell of the Horn and make it disappear, only to reappear later somewhere else. The Queen sang the tune in front of the two Guardians, breaking the spell and making the Horn vanish.'

'Excuse me.'

Will stopped explaining as Taranee spoke again. She nodded and Taranee started.

'The Horn was found by Cedric and used by Phobos, but Caleb managed to break the spell.' Taranee explained. 'Later we fell under the same spell by the Knights of Vengeance, but Irma and Blunk told us that the Horn was flattened before it disappeared. How is it possible that it is still playable?' she asked.

'It is true that the Horn was destroyed. Or as good as.' Will said. 'But there is a room in Kandrakar that holds a duplicate of every magical artifact and also holds a duplicate of the Horn of Hypnos. It's very likely that Yan-Lin has given Hay-Lin the duplicate.'

'That's insane. If there is something of a magical A-bomb that can blow up an entire planet, Kandrakar has a second one!' Ilana muttered.

'I bet it's for people who lose their original objects.' Edeline whispered back with a smirk.

'But this doesn't make sense. If the Horn of Hypnos is a magical artifact than it shouldn't been able to hypnotize the Banshees.' Nerissa pointed out.

Will shook her head.

'Banshees exist longer than the Horn.' she said. 'And they are only immune to raw magic. In other words, they are resistant to direct enthralling or objects, that are capable of hypnotizing, that are made from magic. But when the Horn was made it was nothing more than a music instrument. And that's how it went into history. But there is magic dwelling in the Horn that turns the air that vibrates through it into a hypnotic tone, making it practical impossible for the Banshees to be immune to it.'

Another silence ruled the tent as the new information was being processed. Will waited a couple of minutes before asking Ari to continue.

'Of course.' he said. 'They attacked the village closest to my castle, hoping to lure me out. But thanks to your letter I managed to get the women and children safely through the fold. Most of my men and a regent still remain in the village, to protect it and the rest of the planet.'

Will nodded as she thought over the situation. Everyone stayed quiet as they waited for Will to speak.

'Are you, or any of your men, willing to return to temporarily fight the Banshees?' Will asked Ari.

Before Ari could reply Maqi got up.

'I don't know about my father or any of the men that came with us but I'll go.' he said harshly.

Ari got up and faced his son.

'Maqi. No!' he said.

'Father, I will go and you will not stop me.' Maqi said as he angrily looked at his father.

His father saw another glint of plead cross his eyes but Ari stayed with his former statement.

'I already lost your mother.' Ari said. 'I don't want to lose you.'

Before Maqi would argue with his father Will stepped in.

'That's enough!' she said with a raised voice.

Her voice bounced through the tent and Ari and Maqi stopped their argue. Will then looked at Maqi with eye that weren't looking at him, but his soul.

'Why do you want to fight?' she asked him.

'They killed my girlfriend.' Maqi said with hidden defeat and anger.

'Vengeance will not get her back.' Will said to him, angering him.

'I know!' he cried at her.

Several people started muttering, mostly the Arkhantanians, about the boy's behavior. Tears rolled over his cheeks as he kept looking at Will.

'But that doesn't mean I can't help!' he said. 'They are evil and attacking other houses. Other families. I want to stop them. I don't want other people to lose their loved ones too!'

Will looked at him. He kept his gaze and it was again silent. Will then turned her gaze to Ari.

'Ari, are you willing to help us in a dangerous venture?' she asked him.

'And what might that be?' Ari questioned.

'The de-enthrallment of the former Water and Earth Guardians.' Will said.

Ari's eyes widened. The first thought that crossed his mind was insanity. Impossible. But the gaze Will had on him made him forget those thoughts and new ones appeared. Like: That could work" or "That would at least lower the dangers to my people." He nodded.

'It would be an honor to help you.' he said.

The guards behind him raised their swords, a sign that they would follow Ari.

'Then Maqi will join too.' Will said.

At this Maqi's face lit up, but Ari argued.

'No! He is my son and I will not…' he started.

'He might be your son but he is according to Arkhantanian laws a grown up.' Will said, her voice suddenly as cold as ice. 'He has the rights to choose for himself and if he wishes to fight you will not stop him.'

Ari wanted to say more but cowered under Will's gaze. Everyone noticed the new look Will had on her face. It was a hard and cold look. The atmosphere changed in the tent. People felt shivers running over their backs and sweat started to break out. The only ones who weren't fazed by the sudden change were Natasha and Georgi. They had experienced Will's "serious face" countless of times before. Even though Will was known around the assassination squads as a gentle and strong leader, she was also feared by men who had failed her and with her Hay-Lin. Will always had that look on her face whenever she had to punish someone, kill someone or when she spoke of a plan that had to succeed. So the two girls were used to it. Ari hadn't said anything and went back to his chair. Will got up from her place and looked around, the same cold look on her face as she had used when she worked for Hay-Lin.

'We don't have much time.' she said, her voice cold. 'When Hay-Lin finds out that the Heart of Arkhanta is gone she will call the two former Guardians back and then we've missed our chance.'

The people around her nodded.

'The Guardians will stay here.' Will said. 'You are not powerful enough to fight a Banshee, let alone a small army of them. And fighting Cornelia or Irma is completely out of the question.'

The girls wanted to protest but the glare Will shot at them made them cower and said nothing.

'You five will give this information to Alchemy and Martin. Tell them that they have the lead while we are away.' Will said as she pointed at the exit of her tent.

The Guardians slowly got up and walked away, Ehren muttering a bit about how unfair this was. When the Guardians were gone Will focused on the Arkhantanians.

'Ari, for how long can you and your men occupy the Banshees?' Will asked.

Ari swallowed a bit. Will's cold look made him extremely nervous.

'As long as you think you will need.' he responded.

Will nodded.

'Angelo. Do you still have those spare bracelets?' she asked.

Angelo searched his pockets and showed two similar bracelets to the one he was wearing.

'Yes, but didn't you say that the spell was too strong for the bracelets to break it?' he asked.

A smile appeared on Will's face, scaring the people who saw it.

'But now we can loosen it.' she said. 'The formation is going to be simple. The Warriors of Erutan, together with the Arkhantanians, Caleb and Taranee will fight the Banshees. The families Hale and Lair will confront Irma and Cornelia. I'll create a bubble to protect them from the Banshees.'

'Are you insane?'

It was the first time Tom Lair had spoken since the beginning of the meeting and he shrunk a little back after seeing Will's glare.

'You are the only ones who can give me the time I need to loosen the chains.' she said coldly.

'H-How?' Lilian asked a bit scared of Will's new attitude.

'Just search your hearts.' Will answered her, a bit gentler than before. 'Don't worry. I won't let you get seriously hurt.'

Maybe it was because Will added "seriously" that made the Hales and Lairs look very uncomfortable. Will opened a fold and looked at the people.

'Move out.' she said.

Slowly everyone got up and through the fold. They appeared to have ended in some kind of forest. Ari and his men got low and the others quickly followed their example.

'We're in the Laotho forest close to the village that's being attacked by the Banshees.' Ari said. 'Follow me.'

The group quietly followed Ari and they came to the rim of the forest. In the distance they could see the village, but the problem was coming there without being spotted. There was a big field laying in front of them and no places to hide.

'How are we getting there without being spotted?' Caleb asked.

Will grinned.

'Not.' she said.

She then started to traverse the field and the others quickly followed her, being on guard and praying that this would work. They would have shouted at Will if it didn't gave their position away. They made it to the other side of the field without being spotted. The reason because they weren't spotted was because of what was happening in the village. The group hid behind some crates and wrecked stands and had a good view on what was happening. A group of seventy Banshees were surrounding the men who had stayed behind. The group was holding magical weapons and were trying to stay put. Cornelia and Irma were standing in front of the group. Cornelia held the Horn of Hypnos and pointed at the men.

'No!' Maqi said.

He wanted to run at Cornelia but Will stopped him.

'Maqi, you will stay here and lead these men to the fields we just crossed, understood?'

Maqi nodded shocked, not knowing what Will was doing. Will focused her powers.

'Then we're out of here!'

With that the group teletransported away, leaving Maqi behind. Maqi heard gasps and shouts of wonder and turned around. He noticed that the group of Banshees, together with Irma and Cornelia had disappeared. In the distance he could hear a heavy horn being blown. Maqi ran at the men who were still trying to understand what had happened.

Will had indeed teletransported the Banshees with Cornelia and Irma to the same place as her group. When they arrived they saw Cornelia blowing into the Horn but it wasn't pointed at anyone. Will was secretly happy that heavy enthrallment had its flaws. Cornelia was ordered to put the Arkhantanians under the spell if she could capture them, if not she should kill them. In other words, Cornelia wouldn't use the Horn. The downside to this all was that she would attack them, for they were enemies of Hay-Lin.

'Attack!'

Her voice was in the same zombie tone as ever and the Banshees started attacking the group. As planned they split up. While the Arkhantanians, Warriors, Caleb and Taranee were busy fighting the Banshees, Will and the families Hale and Lair ran at Cornelia and Irma. Will created a bubble around the two families, praying that everything would go as planned or else she had to plan a couple more funerals and she wasn't planning on that.

_At the Banshee attack:_

The Banshees were easily stronger than their enemies. If they hadn't lost their will then they would have won the battle before it even started. Now the Arkhantanians together with the Warriors, Caleb and Taranee were capable of fending them off. When Maqi came the rest of the men of the village the ties seemed to turn. They were taking the Banshees down, but though they laid still for a couple of seconds, they came back again. Never tiring, never feeling any pain. They just came at them or shot magic.

'Why don't they stay down?' Joel yelled as he again shot a Banshee down with his energy.

'They are in a hypnosis state. You can easily compare them to zombies!' Caleb yelled back.

Will appeared and started knocking several Banshees down as well. Angelo and Andrew spotted her and closed in on her.

'Will, aren't you supposed to watch over Lilian and the others?' Angelo yelled as he blasted a Banshee away with his telekinesis.

'I can't do anything as long as they don't paralyze the enthrallment spell.' Will replied, dodging an anvil that fell from the skies.

She looked at it and remembered the Loony Toones, in which several anvils were dropped. A weird urge of laughing befell her before focusing on the matter at hand.

'So you just threw them with Cornelia and Irma, knowing that the two could easily kill their families?' Andrew said in disbelieve and slight anger.

'Just trust me on this, okay?' Will said, dodging a magic blast.

Andrew and Angelo grumbled something before continuing their fights.

_With the Hales and Lairs:_

*This is hopeless.*

Lilian looked scared at her older sister. From this distance she could see the empty look in her eyes. Chris quickly swooped by and pulled her away when several vines shot up to strangle her.

'Thanks.' she muttered to him as he placed her back on the ground.

'Be careful.' he said. 'They are stronger than we think.'

Lilian and Chris turned around when they heard Tom shout.

'Stop this Irma! I don't want to shoot you.' he said as he pointed his gun at Irma.

Irma waved her hands, creating a lot of water drops around her. The drops turned into ice and she directed them at her father. Tom shot at her, only to have the bullet stopped by a wall of water. The ice drops were shooting at him at full speed and he would have died if they'd hit him. But thanks to Lilian's quick acting a shield appeared around him, stopping the ice. Napoleon ran at Cornelia trying to knock her from her feet, but spikes erupted from the ground some nearly impaling him. He recoiled and returned to Lilian's side. He panted as he looked at Chris. Chris too was swiping some sweat away and panting. Lilian noticed their fatigue and felt that she herself was getting tired.

'Sorry Cornelia!'

Lilian looked up to see that her mother had punched her sister in the face, making Cornelia recoil back.

'Wow mom!' Lilian breathed.

Elizabeth looked at her youngest daughter. A small smile graced her lips before she felt a strong telekinetic blast in her stomach, flying back at a high speed. She was caught by Harold, who fell back with her in his arms.

'Remind me of this whenever I make Cornelia angry.' Elizabeth said as she rubbed her stomach and winced in pain. 'I'll wear a bullet free vest then.'

Harold laughed uneasily at his wife's joke but his eyes widened when a giant jet of water was coming their way. If it wasn't for Napoleon pushing them away, they would have drowned.

'Thanks Napoleon.' Harold said. 'You're a lifesaver.'

Napoleon, who got soaked by Irma's attack, shook the water out of his fur.

'This is going to cost you some tuna.' he muttered. 'And cream. A cat hates water so I suspect something back.'

'How you people can make joke during these times elude me.' Anna said as she shook her head.

'Honey, watch out! Your daughter is planning to give you the heads up on breathing underwater!'

Anna saw the water blast coming and managed to dodge it. She rolled out of the way and landed next to Tom. He smiled at her and she sighed.

'Not one of your best ones.' she commented with a smile when she saw him pout.

_Back with the Banshees:_

Angelo and Andrew had been anxiously watching how Mr. and Mrs. Lair and Hale, Chris, Lilian and Napoleon were struggling against Cornelia and Irma. Neither of the two showed any signs of shock or de-enthrallment and the two were fearing that they would lose their only chance of setting them free. They, along with the other Warriors tried to go to them to help but were stopped by Will. She forced them back, telling that she would tell them when to go. Knowing that arguing would only worsen the situation the Warriors returned to fight the Banshees, but Angelo and Andrew never kept their eyes off the bubble.

Angelo wiped some sweat away before dodging yet again another magical attack. The Banshees were bruised and some had broken limbs, but they kept coming. They managed to kill some but that was the only time that the Banshees didn't move. Everyone was getting tired. Suddenly a shriek was heard that pierced Angelo's inner core. He quickly whirled around, slamming in a Banshee with his fist (which he had transformed in a big hammer) and started running at the bubble with Lilian and the others. Andrew was quickly near him. The other Warriors were busy keeping the Banshees away from them while Angelo and Andrew started to think of a way to break the bubble. They wanted to start when Will appeared in front of them.

'Stop!' she said.

The two men looked threateningly at her. Andrew had a height of 100 feet and Angelo had one hand formed into a hammer while the other was a sword.

'What stop?' Angelo yelled angrily at Will. 'Look at them! Cornelia and Irma will kill them if we don't interfere now!'

Will glanced back and saw that the two families were hugging close together, scared of the two former Guardians who were preparing to deliver the final blow. Cornelia had a boulder raised and Irma had created a steaming bubble of water. Will then turned to the two men.

'Give them a little more time.' she said.

'Are you insane?' Andrew yelled at her. 'They'll be dead if we wait any longer!'

'Andrew!' Will shouted, gaining his attention. 'Trust me. Give them a little more time. Be ready to move their families and then to immediately slip on the bracelets. This is our only chance.'

Andrew glared at her, definitely wanting to crush the bubble and save his soon to be family-in-law. Will glowed with her own magic, clearly stating that she wouldn't let the two raging guys pass. They stayed their ground as they watched helplessly what was transpiring in the bubble. Will also turned around to keep a close watch.

_With the Hales and the Lairs._

It was over. Chris had known it when he´d seen his sister. Even with the power Huggles had given him, he couldn´t beat her. He couldn´t pull her back. He couldn´t save his sister nor Lilian.

Chris was standing next to Lilian, in front of their parents. Napoleon lay unconscious on the ground, having detransformed into his cat form. Lilian had some nasty cuts on her face and arms but except for that unharmed. His father´s arm was broken, after Cornelia had hurled a rock at him. His mother´s left hand was burnt, thanks to his sister´s hot water. Lilian´s parents were looking as worse as his. Mr. Hale had blisters on his arms after saving his wife from Irma´s scalding water and Mrs. Hale had scratches on her face and a bleeding wound on her leg, making it difficult to move for her. He himself had a small head wound and a broken wing. He wasn´t quite sure if this would hurt him when he transformed back but he knew that when he transformed back that he would feel a lot of pain. Taranee had told him the pain was being reduced when he was transformed, but that he could feel the true pain when he transformed back.

Chris watched with big eyes how his sister, the one he´d always teased yet loved and maybe sometimes looked up to, create a giant bubble of what looked like scalding water. The steam was coming of it and Chris felt how Lilian gripped his arm in fear. Next to Irma, Cornelia was lifting a giant boulder. He could easily see what their plan was. First scald the enemy so they can't move and then squash them like insects. And the worse thing of all, they couldn't dodge any of the attacks.

He again felt Lilian squeeze his arm slightly as his sister and Cornelia slowly moved forward. The two only sustained minor damage. Cornelia had a black eye thanks to her mother and a bullet hole in her leg, making her walk with some difficulty. Irma had two bullet holes in one leg, making her limp even more than Cornelia.

Chris looked scared at his family. His mask was hiding his features and that was maybe a good thing. They at least couldn't see him cry. He tried one more time to contact Irma.

'Irma…please.' he pleaded. 'Come on sis…Please.'

'Please Cornelia…I believe in you.' Lilian pleaded next to him. 'I miss you.'

A tear rolled down the cheeks of Irma and Cornelia, but their eyes stayed blank, making Lilian and Chris wonder if the two just cried about what they were going to do or that it was a natural reaction to the pain they were feeling. Chris looked at his sister and he lost the last hope he had. When Will told them the plan he had hope that it would work, but he was cursing her for not telling how to reach them. Now they were going to die. He didn't had the chance to finish high school. He could never join the force like his dad. He would never get a chance to drive a car. He didn't even had the chance to tell Lilian…to tell her…

Chris transformed back and immediately winced in pain. The wound on his head was making his head pound even more and the place where his broken wing had been, felt as if it was tearing his back apart. Lilian looked at him with concern.

'Chris! Why did you do that?' she asked him.

Chris looked up. He looked in the beautiful pair of blue eyes. Not as blue as his sister's yet more drowning. They were now wet with tears of worry and sorrow. He slowly took her chin as her beautiful eyes shocked open and she looked quizzically at him. Her long blonde hair that was gracing her perfect little head was sweeping behind her and he looked again in her mesmerizing eyes. He then acted quickly and kissed Lilian passionately on her lips. His eyes had closed when he did it, but that didn't matter because he felt that Lilian was returning his kiss. They separated and Chris looked again in Lilian's eyes.

'I love you, Lilian Hale.' he said to her.

Lilian looked at him and a smile of happiness came on her face as she kissed him again. Just as passionately as before.

'I love you too, Christopher Lair.' she said.

'Ch…Chris?'

'L..Li..Lilian?'

The two looked up to see their sisters looking at them. But their faces were different. Before they were immobile, showing no emotions, but now…Both Irma and Cornelia had a look that looked like shock on their faces. The rock and bubble were still hanging between them but both of them seems to struggle.

Then everything happened way too fast. Chris felt how Andrew wrapped a hand around him and Lilian while seeing how Angelo took Mrs. Hale. Will shouted some instructions before running at Irma and Cornelia. Chris wanted to shout at Will. Shouting to not hurt his sister. But that wasn't needed. Will pushed both Irma and Cornelia down, letting the bubble explode and the rock to crash on the ground. She then placed her hands on the foreheads of Cornelia and Irma and she started glowing. Slowly Irma and Cornelia started glowing and Chris looked scared at what was happening, praying that his sister would break free.

_In the mind of Irma:_

'Chris…and Lilian…kissing?'

Irma Lair was stunned at what she just saw. She had never expected that the two of them would dig each other, let alone kiss! Okay, the two shared the common trait of annoying their sisters but still…

What Irma hadn't noticed was that because of this shock, the enthrallment spell was paralyzed as well. She was shocked out of her thoughts when she saw Will appear.

'Will!' she said. 'Did you see that? Lilian and Chris! Chris and Lilian! In either way it's weird to say.'

Will grinned at Irma's shock and quickly started working on the tin can in which Irma was locked.

'This could mean that me and Corny would end up becoming family. I can picture her face already.' Irma muttered, still not fully aware of what Will was doing. 'What should I wear at their wedding? Will there be a wedding? Does this mean that I have to remember the birthdays of the other Hales as well? I hope not, cause I'm already having trouble with remembering the ones of my friends.'

Will was shooting at her cage, only half listening at Irma's shock. As long as Irma was rambling like this and didn't notice her presence she could try to get her out of this soup can. Then only the chains had to be broken but Will wasn't counting on it that Irma would be long enough shocked to pull that off.

The harder she hit the box the more a feeling of unease started to settle in her. She looked a couple of times around and found out why. Clouds were swerving through Irma's mind. Clouds of emotions. And the most threatening clouds were rumbling, waiting for Irma to get out of the mind box. Then a memory came to Will. When Irma was enthralled before she became Oracle she could still show her emotions. Now that she couldn't these emotions had bundled up.

Will weighed her options. There wasn't much time left because Irma's rambling became less and less. Either stop now and let Irma be enthralled or free her from her deepest prison and set an enraged Irma loose. She nodded to herself and shoot one more time at the tin can. The box broke open and a bright light blinded Will. Irma had stopped her rambling and was now looking in wonder at Will and then at her chained arms and legs.

'I'm free…er!' she said as she waggled her arms and legs. 'Thanks Will!'

The clouds seemed to have reacted on the bright light and the darker clouds pushed the lighter ones away as they started to surround Irma. Will noticed that Irma's eyes turned red and feared for the others in the real world.

'Irma. Don't let the hate consume you! You are stronger than this!' she said before disappearing from Irma's mind. 'Remember!'

_In Cornelia's mind:_

'Did Lilian…Did Lilian… DID CHRIS KISS LILIAN?'

Cornelia was in a state of shock that would be impossible to describe. She'd often dreamt of the ugly moron's that dared to date her sister and she'd often waged thought of men that would be suitable for her. But never…NEVER would she have thought that Lilian would fancy Christopher Lair. Irma's little brother.

'This is just prove that this is a nightmare gone wrong.' she muttered shocked.

'But if a nightmare goes wrong, doesn't it turn back into a good dream?'

Cornelia's head shot up. She saw Will appear with a very cocky smile on her face and Cornelia scowled.

'No that's not the case.' she said. 'Lilian will not date Chris. I mean, he's Irma's little brother! Okay, I like Irma. She's like my one of my best friends and all. But I don't want to let those two date! Think of the things that could happen!'

Cornelia ranted endlessly about what it could do to her relation with Irma, how her parents would react, how Lilian's heart may break because Chris wouldn't stay with her.

Will shook her head as she started to bust Cornelia's box open. As long as Cornelia kept ranting at the Chris and Lilian matter she had time. Also in Cornelia's mind, clouds were swirling around, waiting to take their chance. Waiting to be expressed.

'And I swear that I will break every bone in his body if he hurts Lilian.' Cornelia muttered on, blissfully unaware of what Will was doing. 'Oh. My. God! What if they get married? I would be related to Irma! I like the girl, I really do but being related to her is maybe a little too much! My life is over.'

Will was again contemplating if she should break the box or not and again choosing for the only right option. One big blast chattered the box, revealing a chained Cornelia. Cornelia, now freed from the box as she stopped with her rant, looked from her arms and legs to Will, tears of happiness rolling over her cheeks.

'Will…Thanks.' she said before the clouds shot past Will and started to swirl around her at a fast pace.

Will again noticed that Cornelia's eye color changed to red and she even heard a roar of fury coming from her.

'Cornelia! These feelings were all bottled up!' Will yelled over Cornelia's roar. 'Accept them! You're better than let yourself be controlled by them! Remember!'

With that Will disappeared from Cornelia's mind.

_In the real world:_

Will shot away from Irma and Cornelia. Caleb had seen it and quickly broke out of his fight with the Banshees to catch Will before she would hit a boulder. Everyone looked expectantly at Will as she shook the wooziness from her mind.

'This will hurt for a long time.' she mumbled as she held her head.

'So?' Angelo urged.

Will's eyes focused slowly on him, but when they did they widened in plain shock.

'What are you doing here?' she yelled at him.

Angelo was taken aback by her sudden question and felt rather hurt.

'To check on you, of course!' he said. 'I'm your best friend! I'm worried about you!'

Will glared at him and noticed that Andrew was standing behind Angelo. Will groaned loudly as her gaze shifted to Cornelia's and Irma's bodies. Both of them were getting up slowly and the gut feeling Will had when she'd entered their minds, increased even more.

'I would be more worried about yourselves.' she said. 'For you see…I managed to break the larger enthrallment spell…'

'But?' Lilian asked, fearing the worst.

'But their own emotions, that had been bundled up for so long, are now controlling them.' Will said quickly.

Chris seemed to relax at that.

'That isn't so bad.' he said.

A rumbling sound was heard and the group looked at Cornelia and Irma. The other Warriors, Taranee and the Arkhantanians who were fighting the Banshees stopped fighting when they saw something that frightened them to the core. Irma and Cornelia were looking at their families, Caleb and Will. Their eyes glowing red as they started to glow green or blue.

Earth shot up from several points near Cornelia, creating enormous pillars of earth while a jungle grew between them. Cornelia was standing on top of one of the pillars and created neat discs of stone from one of the pillars and made them float around her. The jungle revealed several poisonous and man-eating plants that snapped angrily at her family.

Irma had created a body of water around her, making it look like a bigger version of herself. Water that hang freely in the air condensed all around the giant aquatic body and created a mist around her. Clouds came together and thunder rumbled as rain started to pour down.

'It wouldn't be so bad if the feeling wasn't hatred for Hay-Lin.' Will said as she broke free from Caleb's grasp.

This was now the thing she'd hoped that wouldn't happen. Now two enraged ex-Guardians were standing in front of her with a power almost equal to their Zenith powers.

'And that's why I told you to slip them immediately around their wrists.' Will said as she glared at Angelo and Andrew, who were both looking awestruck and a little frightened.

*I'm going to take one heck of a long sleep when this joint is over.* Will complained in her thoughts, making herself ready to protect the people here.

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><p><em><strong>[AN] Great ending, don't you think? Now for some clear ups. The moments of Will entering Cornelia's and Irma's minds were simultaneously. Hey, she's a woman! She can do more than two things at once! And she's an Oracle at that! And don't think Cornelia isn't thrilled about Lilian and Chris dating. It's just…Cornelia had been protecting her little sister since the girls was born and even more after "U is for Undivided". It's only natural that she's overprotective. Also for Will's coldness… Well let's say that her "leader mode" has adapted to the mafia world.**_

_**And the beginning of this chapter was a **** to write. I wasn't sure if I should let the two immediately get cozy with each other or not, so I decided to keep them apart for just a little bit longer. Nice huh?**_

_**Also, tomorrow is my birthday and I really wanted to have this done before it. Tomorrow I'll be 17! Yay me!**_

_**Anyway, please review. You would make me VERY happy. You can also regard it as a birthday present! ^^**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**[A/N] At the end of this chapter, if you review, there will be cake.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

Will was feeling a feeling she thought she'd lost a long time ago. Panic. She, together with Taranee, Andrew and Angelo were the fittest of everyone who had come to Arkhanta. The other Warriors were a little worn out from their fight with the Banshees and the Arkhantanian men were tired. But they kept fighting relentlessly against the Banshees that were still alive and kicking. From the seventy Banshees were only fifty left. None of the Arkhantanians died. But that could have something to do with a shield that appeared every time they would die by an attack. The men weren't sure how the shield appeared but they weren't complaining. Only the warriors, Ari and Caleb recognized it as Will's magic. Maqi's arm was broken, forcing him to fight with one arm. The Banshees continued their relentless assault, completely unaware of Cornelia's and Irma's rage. This forced the Arkhantanians to focus on the fight against them.

'Go! Go help the Oracle!' Ari yelled at Cassidy, Joel, Mandy and Taranee. 'We'll keep them busy!'

'You can't fight them alone!' Joel said as he shot a Banshee dead with his energy.

'We are stronger than we look!' Maqi said as he stabbed a Banshee through the chest. 'Go! We'll survive!'

The four looked at each other, not really wanting to abandon them. Ari noticed their hesitation and yelled at them again.

'Go!' he yelled at them.

The three remaining Warriors and Taranee broke free from the fight and ran to Angelo, Andrew, Will and the families Hale and Lair. Cassidy looked in awe up at the water figure of Irma, now having an equal height as Andrew.

'Wow!' she breathed. 'It's even cooler than I thought!'

She then noticed the looks of disbelieve on the faces of the others. Her cheeks reddened a bit.

'Uh… I mean, that would be cool if she wasn't planning to kill us, that is…' Cassidy quickly added.

'And what now?' Mandy asked.

Right when the words left her mouth she saw a giant disc of earth flying at her. There was no time for her to dodge, but luckily she could phase through it. The disc shot through her and crashed on the ground. On the exact same spot where Cornelia had dropped the Horn of Hypnos during the beginning of the fight.

'That solves that problem.' Mandy said before grinning at Cassidy. 'And you said that phasing through things wouldn't come in handy during a battle?'

Cassidy held her hands up in defense.

'I stand corrected.' she said with a smile.

'FOCUS!'

The two women looked around to see a very agitated Will creating a barrier around the Lairs and Hales. She then moved quickly to the rest of the group with Caleb, Angelo and Andrew in tow. Will's look was, if possible, even colder than before and she looked ready to snap at everyone who dared to question her. She gave a cold glare to Andrew and Angelo before speaking up.

'Now seeing that we've got two raging ex Guardians to fight thanks to these two boneheads.' she said coldly as she again shot a glare at Andrew and Angelo. 'We have to do this a bit different.'

She then struggled, wincing a bit and moaning. Caleb was quickly to try and support her but she briskly waved his attempts away.

'Are you okay?' he asked her in concern.

'I'm fan-f***ing-tastic, Caleb.' she groaned in annoyance. 'But I'm nearly out of any energy, I can't keep hiding the magical energy that those two are producing from Yan-Lin and I think I might throw up. Other than that I'm perfectly fine.'

Caleb noticed Will's very agitated attitude and took a step away from her.

'Now…' Will said as she swayed again. 'We have to knock them from their power base.'

'That's easy for you to say!' Joel said, though cowering as Will glared at him. 'I…I mean, water and earth are all around us! And they have the power to call it to them!'

'Thank you captain Obvious.' Will muttered annoyed.

Joel felt rather hurt but didn't dare to retort.

'You create a nice energy bubble around Cornelia, cutting her from the ground and bringing her down.' Will said to Joel. 'Angelo and Cassidy will help you with it.'

'You.' she said as she pointed at the 100 feet tall Andrew. She raised her voice so he could hear her very clearly. 'You will take Irma out of her water body and force her to the ground. Taranee will make sure that there will be no water around her.'

Andrew nodded and prepared to take his fiancé down.

'Caleb.' Will said. 'Come here.'

Caleb came closer to her and she leaned to him. She then said something in his ear. Caleb's eyes widened out of recognition.

'This is…' he said.

Will nodded and looked at him.

'Undo the spell of the Horn.' she said. 'Go to the Banshees and sing the melody. They should be weak enough to retreat.'

Caleb nodded and hurried away.

'What should I do?' Mandy asked.

A very nasty retort lay at Will's lips but she decided that she was already acting like a real bitch.

'You will heal the Lairs and Hales.' Will said tiredly. 'I'll make sure no one gets harmed too bad.'

Mandy nodded and quickly flew to the dome in which the Lairs and Hales were. She phased through the walls and started healing. Angelo, Cassidy and Joel had started attacking Cornelia and Andrew had engaged something what looked like wrestling with the aquatic version of Irma. Taranee was still standing near Will.

'You're a good liar, you know that?' she said.

Will, despite her feeling terrible, cracked a grin. Despite that she didn't say anything.

'You know that I can't dry the area around Irma. She's too strong for me.' Taranee continued.

Will's grin turned devilish as her eyes twinkled. Taranee recognized the look and was feeling rather anxious of what Will was planning.

'Not if you're in Zenith mode you're not.' Will told her, closing in on Taranee.

'Wow. Wow. Wow!' Taranee said, stepping away from Will and pushing her slightly away. 'I will NOT go into Zenith mode. We did it once and if it weren't for you hearing Matt we would have completely lost our humanity!'

'It's that or watch how people will die.' Will told her coldly. 'Besides, this time I'm here to let you remain your humanity.'

Taranee laughed. It was cold and dry, telling Will that she would have a hard time believing that.

'I'm sorry.' Taranee said. 'But you look too weak to even keep that dome around the Lairs and Hales, let alone divide your attention to keep me sane!'

Will glared at her but Taranee wasn't intimidated. She'd known Will long enough that she wouldn't hurt her. There was more needed to intimidate her. Will also seemed to notice that she wasn't intimidating Taranee. She rolled her eyes out of annoyance and sighed.

'Listen. I have enough energy to blow this planet up.' Will lied. She maybe had enough energy to copy Irma's water body and fight with it for half an hour before collapsing out of fatigue, but Taranee shouldn't know that. And they really needed Taranee to take Irma down, so the lie had to work.

Taranee raised an eyebrow, not sure if she should believe Will. Will silently blessed her talent to lie when Taranee sighed and nodded.

'Okay.' she said. 'I trust you on this.'

A cry of joy made them turn around. They saw that Joel had managed to catch Cornelia in a energy bubble. Cornelia was fighting it intensely, shooting telekinetic blasts at the bubble and making plants try to pierce it. Angelo tried to get close but every time he neared plants attacked him. Cassidy quickly froze them but the plants kept coming. Joel was struggling with keeping Cornelia in the bubble but Cornelia was too strong for him. Another telekinetic blast was shot and it completely destroyed the bubble. The blast shot further and hit Joel, knocking him a couple of feet back before he fell unconscious.

'Joel!' Cassidy cried concerned. She tried to get near him but was partly distracted by an explosion.

It seemed that, when Joel's bubble was destroyed, a giant explosion followed, hurling Cornelia against the dome that protected her and Irma's family. There she fell to the ground. She struggled to get up, but her body was too tattered and broken to obey the command. Angelo, thinking that he had a chance, neared Cornelia slowly. But before he was close enough to slip the bracelet around her wrist Cornelia started to scream. She was thrashing to the left and right like a little kid having a tantrum. Vines covered with thorns shot up from the ground and pierced through the shield.

'SHIT!' Will cried as she ran to the scene.

She silently cursed herself for thinking that a normal barrier would be strong enough.

Mandy, who had just finished healing Mr. and Mrs. Hale, looked surprised up when she noticed that the barrier had disappeared. She looked up and saw huge vines erupting from the ground, while the pillars Cornelia had made earlier were shaking like crazy. She took Lilian and Napoleon in her arms and started flying.

'Get away from here!' she bellowed to the Lairs and Hales.

The Lairs were quickly to follow her command, running until they found themselves blocked by a purple barrier. They looked around and saw a grim looking Will maintaining the barrier. They sighed relieved. They could have been dead by now.

'Everything still alright, Harold?' Tom asked as he looked around.

He then noticed that neither Harold or Elizabeth were standing in the dome. Mandy had returned to healing Lilian and Will had returned to her place next to Taranee, somewhere near the raging Irma. He then noticed Harold and Elizabeth. Both were slowly making their way to Cornelia, while trying to evade the vines that either erupted under their feet or tried to squash them.

'Harold! Elizabeth!' Tom cried as he walked towards them, only to be stopped by the barrier. 'Come back!'

Mandy had noticed that the two Haled were walking at their death and she quickly abandoned Lilian's healing, knowing that Lilian would kill herself if she knew that her parents were killed by her sister. She flew as fast as she could and phased through the barrier. A vine was shooting at the couple and they couldn't dodge. Mandy flew in front of them and wrapped her wings in front of her. The vine collided with her wings and Mandy felt that she was being pushed back. She turned her head to glare at the two Hales, only to find that they were already gone. The vine stopped its attack and Mandy unfolded her wings. She saw that Harold and Elizabeth were now near Cornelia, who was still thrashing around. She noticed Angelo dodging several vines.

'Angelo!' she yelled. 'Can you get those two away from Cornelia?'

Angelo peered at Cornelia and nodded. Mandy than returned to her actual duty, knowing that Angelo could handle it. Angelo neared the three Hales but the closer he came, the saver it became. The vines were slowly stopping with erupting from the ground or whipping around. The pillars had stopped shaking and Angelo focused back on Cornelia. He saw how Elizabeth had taken Cornelia's head in her lap and he saw how her lips were moving. Harold had taken one of Cornelia's hands and was stroking it gently.

'I just wanna bloom,' Elizabeth sang. 'And you're gonna see.

A simple picture turn to a masterpiece.'

Cornelia seemed to settle down at the song her mother was singing. Angelo noticed that now was his best bet to slip the bracelet around Cornelia's wrist. He moved quickly and grabbed Cornelia's wrist. He then slipped the bracelet around her wrist and grabbed Harold and Elizabeth. He quickly moved away. He turned around to see a pillar of blue light shoot from Cornelia and her scream pierced his heart. The pillars of earth exploded and the plants weathered. Cornelia lay unconscious on the ground. Cassidy, who had brought Joel to the edge of the new barrier so that Mandy could heal him too, came and picked Cornelia gently from the ground. She, together with Angelo and the two Hales walked quickly but silently to the dome, not saying one word as they looked at Cornelia with concern.

With Irma things weren't going so well. Andrew nearly drowned twice if it wasn't for Will blasting Irma out of her aquatic body and making her lose her control of the water around Andrew. Taranee had been doubting all the way long but was now being determined.

'Will…I'm ready.'

Will nodded at her. She kept looking at the fight between Andrew and Irma, making sure Irma wouldn't hurt anyone else or drown Andrew while she wasn't paying any attention.

'Okay. Close your eyes.' she said. 'The last time I was the one who forced you guys into Zenith by using the Heart, but you can enter it yourself.'

Taranee closed her eyes and listened to Will.

'Focus on the core of your power. Of the fire that blazes within you.' Will urged.

Why Will had to be so darn cryptic was a loss to Taranee. She tried to feel her power and she felt a small fire burning.

'That's not it.' she heard Will say. She was apparently looking in her mind, helping her find her core. 'That's the idea you have of your power. That's your projection.'

*That little flame?* Taranee thought a bit hurt. *Do I really think that badly of my powers?*

'Push it aside. Go deeper.' Will said.

Taranee slowly made it past her little flame. When she neared the flame seemed to increase in size but it let her through. A long time Taranee felt nothing and saw nothing. She even felt cold and maybe even abandoned. Then a slight red glowing caught Taranee's attention. She focused on it and unknowingly also turned her head, even though this was all playing inside her very being. She felt and saw a river of magma surrounding a gigantic red dragon. She felt herself being called to the dragon, but a fear made her stop. She stood on the other side of the magma river and looked in awe at the dragon. Suddenly one eye of the dragon opened and stared intensely at Taranee. Taranee took a step back but kept looking at the dragon.

'Taranee! Ask him! He won't bite!' Will's voice echoed. 'Then again, maybe he will.'

That wasn't exactly reassuring Taranee. She kept looking at the dragon until the latter suddenly spoke.

'You again?'

His voice was low and rumbling like a volcano that is about to erupt. Yet Taranee found something reassuring in it.

'The last time you just touched me.' the dragon recalled. 'That wasn't very nice.'

Taranee felt extremely nervous.

'Uhm…Sorry?' she said.

The dragon slowly tilted his head and shook it.

'No, I should apologize.' he said. 'It was, after all, your first time and you didn't have much time. I shouldn't have tried to make you regress to fire.'

Taranee wasn't sure how to react to that, but the dragon didn't seem to be wanting one. Taranee sensed an impatience and was guessing that things were pretty hectic in the real world. She cleared her throat. The dragon's attention was now completely turned to her, both eyes open. Thousands of questions were swarming her mind but she knew she had to delay that to another time. Right now only one mattered.

'Uhmm…Sorry to interrupt you, but I need your power.' Taranee said a bit nervous..

'To fight your water sister, am I right?' the dragon replied.

'I…I just need to evaporate the water around her!' Taranee defended. 'That's all we need. We can then help her.'

The dragon seemed to be pondering about it.

'And you are not afraid you will lose your humanity?' he questioned. 'Now that the Heart has gone to a new generation, you're will alone cannot keep you humane.'

'The Oracle will help me.' Taranee said without a doubt.

The dragon chuckled slightly.

'It seems you're are willing to do everything to save her.' he said.

'Yes, sir.' Taranee replied.

'Very well then.' the dragon said.

He got up and Taranee noticed how big he was. She was rather stunned at how such an enormous creature could live in her mind.

'Come to me, Taranee Cook.'

Taranee obeyed, not sure if she was too awed to not obey or that her drift of saving Irma was pushing her. She walked to the river of magma and walked through it, not being burnt by it. It actually felt rather nice. She climbed out of the small magma river and to the dragon. The dragon placed on of his very big and long claws on her forehead and Taranee felt a wave of power overflowing her.

Immediately she fell into darkness and she started to lose her memories. Of who she was, what she was and why she was there. A desire of destruction started to burn in her and she wanted to oblige to it if not for a light. She felt how a hand grabbed her tight and pulled her up. Her memories returned yet the power remained. She looked at her savior and saw Will smiling at her.

'I got you.' she said. 'Now help Andrew!'

Taranee nodded and noticed she had control over her body. She opened her eyes and looked around. She felt completely energized and strong. She looked at her arms and legs and saw that they were on fire. No, she was the fire. She flew up at a considerable speed and flew near Andrew, keeping her heath away from him so that she wouldn't burn him.

'I knock her again out of her water body and you make sure that the water doesn't return.' Andrew said grimly as he punched on Irma's icy fists. The fists shattered but water immediately reshaped the hands.

Andrew folded his giant hands together and gave a hammer punch. The power of his punch was being stopped by the water but it was strong enough to push Irma out of the water. Irma was falling and immediately water started to surround her. Taranee fired a giant flamethrower at the water, making it evaporate. Irma kept falling and tried to rebuilt the water structure around her but every time she tried Taranee evaporated the water. Just before Irma would hit the ground Andrew's hand appeared and caught her. He quickly placed her on the ground when he noticed that ice started to grow on his hand. Taranee came close to Irma, evaporating any water around her. Irma tried to douse Taranee but the heath Taranee was giving off evaporated the water before it could touch her. Irma started to act very slow and Taranee noticed that her heath was burning Irma.

*_Taranee, I'm going to help you transform back!*_ Will's voice rang through her.

Andrew had shrunk and was nearing Taranee and Irma, but because of Taranee's heath he couldn't get close. Taranee focused and she saw how Will led her back to the dragon. The dragon bowed its head to Will.

'Oracle. Long time isn't it?' he said.

Will had a wry smile on her face.

'Okay okay!' she said. 'I'm sorry for forcing you guys to give us some power!' she said.

'Apology accepted.'

With that Taranee felt how her power was diminishing. She felt how her body turned back to normal and slowly the dragon and Will disappeared. She opened her eyes and felt terribly drained.

'I think I'm going to collapse.' she muttered as her knees started to tremble.

Just then she noticed how Andrew slipped the bracelet around Irma's wrist and how he pulled her away. A giant blue pillar of light shot from Irma and she screamed loudly. Then the light died away and Irma's body lay unconscious on the ground. Andrew put Taranee down next to Will, who was already panting and sitting, and went to fetch Irma. Caleb, the Arkhantanians, the Hales and Lairs, Cassidy with Cornelia, Mandy with Joel, Angelo, Lilian with Napoleon in her arms, Chris, Tom, Harold and Elizabeth also came to them.

'We won!' Maqi said happily. 'This guy came and sang some sort of tune. When the Banshees heard it they stopped attacking! They retreated to the swamps!'

Some Arkhantanians patted Caleb on his back and he smiled at them. His eyes then wandered to Cornelia, Irma and Will.

'How are you guys doing?' he asked.

'Fine…' Will said faintly.

'Ari, is there a cave or a good hiding place nearby?' she asked him.

'The castle's basement.' Ari said. 'It's not easy to get in or out.'

Will nodded before turning to Angelo.

'Can you think you can teletransport us there?'

Angelo looked pensive at the large group.

'I think so…but I'll be drained afterwards.' he answered.

'Please do it.' Will said with difficulty.

Angelo focused before a thought struck him. He had no clue where that basement exactly was! This was, after all, his first visit to the planet. Suddenly a place shot through his thoughts. It was a large chamber with bluish and greenish light. A small lake lay in the middle of the room. He suspected that Will had shared that thought with him. He focused on the place and teletransported everyone to that location. When they arrived he fell to his knees, panting badly. Elizabeth placed a hand on his back in concern but he waved it away. He slowly got up and walked to Will. Will had her eyes closed at made some signs with her hands. Angelo felt a burst of magic going through the room. Will then moaned and fainted.

'Will!'

Angelo hurried to her but Caleb was faster. He caught her and laid her down softly. Will's eyes opened slightly and she moaned again.

'I protected the basement.' she said with difficulty.

She slowly pushed herself up but Caleb pushed her back.

'You have to rest.' he said.

Will shook her head.

'I…I heal Cornelia and Irma. And then the others…And then I can rest.' she said as she tried to challenge Caleb's strength.

Caleb didn't have to use much strength cause Will was fatigued. The protective spells to evade Yan-Lin's sight, the barrier, the small shields that protected several men from death by a Banshee attack, blasting Banshees, loosening the enthrallment spells of Cornelia and Irma and guiding Taranee had taken a lot out of her. Caleb forced her down.

'You will rest.' he said. 'No one is lethally injured and there have been no deaths thanks to you. Mandy, Joel and Angelo can heal them.'

'But.' Will stammered.

'No but.' Caleb said. 'You don't have the energy to do that…and I don't want to lose you to this war.'

'Caleb?'

Will looked him in the eyes and he mustered up the courage.

'You are important.' he said.

He saw that the light that flickered in her eyes a moment ago was dying down but she had to know. Not from his thoughts, but from his words.

'Not just for the rebellion or to win the war.' he continued. 'But for me as well.'

'Caleb…I…' Will said.

'I know you know how I feel.' he said. 'But I don't know about your feelings. Please Will. Tell me.'

Will stayed quiet for a time. Everyone in the cave was holding their breaths, the Warriors and Taranee more than the Arkhantanians.

'I can't Caleb.' she said. 'I don't want you to throw your life away for me.'

'That is my decision.' he said. 'Now tell me. What are your feelings?'

Will strained herself to sit up. Caleb tried to push her down but she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him with the last energy she had left.

'I love you, rebel boy.' she said.

Caleb looked stunned at Will when he saw that her eyes fluttered close. A slight moan escaped her lips before she started falling to the ground, only to be caught in Caleb's arms. A small smile played on his lips as he brushed her hair away.

'Sleep well.' he said. 'You've earned it.'

The Arkhantanians gave a small applause, keeping it as quiet as possible. Maqi wolf-whistled and Angelo patted Caleb's back. Taranee pinked a tear away while Cassidy was cheering loudly. After all, it took those two way too long. After the small celebration the rebels split up. Mandy, Angelo and Joel started healing the various rebels and Will, Cornelia and Irma, while Taranee and Cassidy stood guard. Caleb kept watch over Will and the other rebels either went to sleep or took the guard duty of Taranee and Cassidy. Late that night everyone was sleeping, happy that one thing had gone right.

_Hay-Lin's HQ, a couple of minutes before the de-enthrallment of Irma:_

Hay-Lin was looking through her papers. Several stated how well her fortune was growing while others were application forms for one of her assassination teams or other job offers. The small relapse of last week was already forgotten. Now she simply waited for Irma and Cornelia to return with a hypnotized Ari, who would give her the Heart of Arkhanta. A half an hour ago she felt a strange sensation washing over her, but she didn't pay heed to it. It wouldn't be important if her grandmother hadn't warned her before.

*_Hay-Lin!*_

Hay-Lin shot up from her paperwork, looking straight ahead.

*_What?*_ she answered annoyed.

_*Someone is trying to dethrall Irma and Cornelia!*_ her grandmother said.

*_What?*_ Hay-Lin yelled. *_That should be impossible! Who…. Will!*_

Hay-Lin was blazing with hatred as she took the Heart of Dreadmore from her neck. She slashed with it in the air and a fold appeared. She entered it quickly and noticed that she'd entered Arkhanta in the swamps. What gave her a bad premonition was that she saw Banshees returning, tattered and beaten. She growled and teleported to the village of where her grandmother had last sensed Cornelia and Irma. When she arrived she saw a lot of broken houses and stands, but no signs of a real battle. She walked around until she noticed the field next to the village. A large spot was scorched from magic attacks while another part had a lot of rubble and one spot was completely wet. It was obvious to her that it was here where the fight had been. But she was too late. Cornelia and Irma had disappeared.

Hay-Lin fell on her knees and roared out of frustration. She felt emotions of which she thought she had abandoned a long time ago. Fear. Abandonment. Loss. Something wet rolled past her cheeks. She wiped it away and looked at it in surprise. Tears. She hadn't cried since the death of … Hay-Lin looked angrily at the sky.

'This is your fault, Wilhelmina Vandom!' she screamed. 'You will pay for your crimes! You will pay for making me cry!'

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><p><em><strong>[AN] Hope I didn't disappoint you there… Now don't think of Will being unreasonable. Trying to loosen the enthrallment spell took a lot from her. It isn't exactly a walk around the park. So the girl is actually just cranky because of her lack of energy. I hope you enjoyed the WxC part. I'm not particularly good at writing fluff… At least, I don't think I am. And Hay-Lin…She seems to be blaming Will for some things. And when was the last time she cried? Of whose death?**_

_**Please review cause I'm rather uncertain about this chapter. Thank you!**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

A day had passed and neither Irma, Cornelia or Will had awakened. Angelo had slept the same day, he needed it after having teletransported and healing the rebels. Now he was awake and mostly watching over Cornelia and Irma or Will. Caleb was growing restless and kept pacing through the basement, waiting for a sign of awakening. The Hales and Lairs sat silently by their daughters, waiting just like Caleb for a sign of life. Out of safety they had moved Will to a corner of the basement and created an ice dome around her, to keep any noise from her when Irma or Cornelia would awaken. Luckily the Warriors could go in and out the basement for some food and water without being spotted by Yan-Lin, thanks to their bracelets. Other than that, the Warriors kept guard on the basement or were speaking with the Arkhantanians.

'When did Will contact you?' Joel asked to Ari.

Ari duck in his pockets and pulled a stone and a letter out of it.

'A month or what ago I received this letter and stone from a little guy from the planet Minus.' Ari explained. 'The letter told me that it was likely that Hay-Lin would attack on this date and that, if it would happen, I could use the stone to create a fold to a save place. The man told me that other planets had gotten the same letter, but that mine was a bit modified. The Oracle had a vision of an attack on Arkhanta, you see.'

Joel nodded as he scanned the letter Ari had given him. There was something else that interested him. The letter spoke of a request to join the rebellion against Hay-Lin. If the lord of the planet wanted to join they had to wait until the stone glowed red. They could then create a fold that would lead them to the rebellion. If the stone glowed blue the wisest of the planet should enter the fold and when the stone would become black then it would be wise to increase the defenses around the Heart of that world because that would mean that the rebellion had failed.

With Cornelia and Irma things were silent. Lilian and Chris were sitting next to each other, Lilian leaning her head on Chris' shoulder and looking anxiously at her sister. Chris did the same thing. None of the adults were teasing the young couple. Truth be told, their parents had known something was growing between the two and they were glad that the two finally admitted their feelings.

Elizabeth had Cornelia's head on her lap and stroke Cornelia's hair softly while humming the same song she'd sang before. Harold was looking a little lost at his daughter. Anna held Irma's hand in her own, some tears running over her cheek. Tom had an arm wrapped around her shoulder as he too was looking with concern at Irma. Angelo joined the small group.

'Mrs. Hale, may I ask you something?'

Elizabeth looked up from Cornelia and gave Angelo a wry smile.

'Of course, Angelo.'

'That song you sang. How did you know that Cornelia would calm down?' Angelo asked interested.

'It's an old song my mother used to sing to me whenever I was angry, upset or sad. I used to sing it to Cornelia and Lilian whenever they felt that way. I guess it's something that stayed in her memory.' Elizabeth explained.

Angelo nodded and turned his gaze to Cornelia. Now that he saw her he felt a bit weird. Cornelia had been enthralled for four years and he never managed to have a conversation with her before that. The only thing that crossed his mind was that she was as pretty as ever. He wondered how he would feel when she woke up.

'And? How are they doing?'

Angelo looked up to see Taranee standing behind him, looking a little concerned.

'They're still asleep.' Elizabeth said with a sad smile.

Taranee sat down next to Angelo and sighed loudly.

'Will isn't giving any signs of awakening either.' she moaned a bit.

'She was always a heavy sleeper.' Angelo joked a bit.

'Urgh! Don't tell me!' Taranee said, faking fear. 'I've had enough of that on slumber parties! If we need to leave urgent we can always pick them up and fold away.'

Angelo chuckled lightly. He shifted his gaze back on Cornelia. His mind wandered back to the happy times, in which he had been laughing with Will, tricking and teasing with Irma AND Hay-Lin and watching Cornelia skate. Ending with them eating in the Silver Dragon.

He sighed. Why did this have to happen? Was this a way of the universe to tell Kandrakar that a new Oracle was needed? If that was true than it was a pretty messed up way. But he guessed there was a reason for it. His hand ran unconsciously over his chest, tracing his scar when he heard a snore. He looked aside and saw that Lilian had fallen asleep on Chris' shoulder and Chris himself was now slowly placing his head on hers, falling nearly asleep as well.

Taranee had seen them as well but she kept sitting, smiling a bit at the two. She knew full well that both their sisters would have something to say about it. Cornelia maybe moaning about becoming related to Irma while Irma would joke around. So, for now, she and the other adults decided to keep their mouths shut about the subject.

'Taranee?'

'Mmm?'

Tom Lair looked at her with a serious face. Taranee had a feeling he was waiting to ask this question.

'How much is Will changed?'

'Sorry?' I asked surprised.

'The Will I remember is a shy but confident girl. She stays polite and never shows her emotions, except for happiness and, if it's really hard, sadness. But I've never seen her that cold.' Tom asked while scratching his head.

Taranee looked at the corner where Will lay. Caleb was sitting close to the ice while Will's resting figure was encased in ice.

'I think that's because of her year with Hay-Lin, I guess.' she said with a frown. 'Forcing someone to lead the assassination squads and executing several people does that to you.'

'Everyone of us has developed a cold side.' Angelo said as he looked at his hands. 'We just don't use it because we know we can show each other our real emotions. But, from what Joel told me, if you show an emotion in the circles of the assassination squadrons you'll be considered weak and they'll try to kill you to acquire your status. And I guess the only reason that Will's still alive is because she managed to turn cold whenever she had to explain a mission or when people questioned her and that she had her powers.'

'It must have been hard for you. I mean, even though with the Guardian stuff you five did.' Tom said with a gruff voice.

It was obvious he was being worried about his daughter. She had moved a couple of times in her sleep and even begged once, though the words were mostly inaudible. She seemed so fragile, unlike how she'd been acting before. The dress she had been wearing when she came here, a marine blue battledress with a dark blue dragon on it, was a bit torn at the bottom and one sleeve was missing. She had curled herself up in a ball. His little girl was now looking as she did years ago, when she was afraid of the dark.

The rest of the day passed and again, nothing had happened. None of the three women woke up and the rebels and Arkhantanians stayed another day on Arkhanta. They didn't want to return to Metamoor until Will was awake, knowing that there had to be a reason for her to make Angelo teletransport them to here. The next day came and it seemed that it would be another boring day. Until…

'Urgh.'

People immediately turned their heads and stopped with whatever they were doing. Cornelia had groaned and was slowly sitting up, having her eyes closed and rubbing her head. Nobody moved. Her family had been standing a bit away from her with the Lair family, but they weren't sure if they should approach her or not.

'I've got one hell of a headache.' Cornelia complained, still her eyes closed. 'The last time I had a headache like this was during Irma's eighteenth birthday party.'

'Urgh. I totally agree with you on that, Corny.'

Cornelia turned her head in the direction of the voice and opened her eyes. The image was a bit blurry but slowly she got everything into focus. She saw Irma sitting up and rubbing her temples while looking down.

'You know I don't like being called Corny…' Cornelia said before her eyes widened in realization and she looked at her hands, flexing her fingers a couple of times.

Irma had turned her head and was now looking with a grin at Cornelia. She then noticed that Cornelia was intensely checking her fingers.

'Broke a nail?' she asked with a grin.

'Don't you see?' Cornelia asked her.

Irma was surprised to see tears flowing from Cornelia's eyes. The last time that happened was…was…

'We're free!' Irma yelled in realization.

She flung at Cornelia and hugged her. Cornelia hugged her with the same force and both were crying. How long had it been to show emotions? How long had it been to joke? How long had it been to argue? And how long had it been to love? Both hadn't counted the years, thinking they would lose hope if they did, but both knew it had been too long.

'We're free.'

Cornelia smiled at Irma, who had loosened the hug and was still looking surprised. The girl would never lose her ability to talk, except enthralling that is.

'Cornelia?'

'Irma?'

Both women stiffened when they heard those voices. Those voices….They weren't supposed to hear them. They weren't supposed to be here. Cornelia and Irma turned slowly and looked at the people they'd being assuming to be dead for a long time. Both their parents were looking at them in concern and love. Their mothers were leaning against their fathers, who were holding the hands of their mothers. Their brother and sister were standing next to each other, looking scared and hopeful at them. A lump formed in both their throats.

Irma was rubbing her eyes. Not daring to believe this. Being freed had been one of her biggest dreams, but this… Did this mean?

'You're supposed to be dead.'

Irma's voice was a lot colder than she supposed to. She saw both her and Cornelia's parents freeze up at the sound of it and she regretted it immediately. She never thought she would have missed the feeling of regret.

'We aren't.'

Her father looked at his daughter with the same love he'd showed her in the past. She didn't feel like she deserved that.

'Does…Does this mean we're dead?' Cornelia asked scared.

'I don't think you are.' her mother answered gently. 'You're sister had warned us. Thanks to her we escaped Hay-Lin's hitmen.'

Both Cornelia's and Irma's gazes went to Lilian, who shrunk a bit back before Chris stepped before her. Irma slowly walked forward, not believing her eyes.

'You are dead.' she said stubbornly. 'I bet that when I try to touch you I'll go straight through you.'

Anna Lair had to smile at her daughter's stubbornness. It was something she had to have inherited from her father. Irma slowly went to touch her mother. Anna couldn't wait for her hesitating hand and she quickly wrapped her arms around Irma, shocking the young woman. But Irma's shock didn't take long. She wrapped her arms around her mother and started to cry like a little child in her mother's shoulder.

'Mom!' she sobbed. 'I..I…I had never hoped to hug you again! I was so angry when I thought you were dead! I'm sorry! So sorry!'

'It's okay.' Anna whispered in her ear, crying just as hard as Irma. 'Everything will be okay now.'

Tom quickly joined the hug, not wanting to stay out of it.

'You should now that we don't blame you.' he said to her as he petted her hair. 'And we've always loved you.'

Cornelia had been silent. When she saw Irma actually touching her parents a jolt went through her. If Irma could touch her parents…that should mean that she could do that too, right?

'Mom?' Cornelia questioned scared.

Elizabeth nodded, not being capable of pronouncing any words too scared to start crying. Cornelia walked almost zombie like towards her family. Elizabeth stretched her arms and Cornelia walked right into them. The warmth of her mother's skin made tears well up. After so long and thinking her mother and father had been dead for the same time…She could finally hug them again.

'Mom!' Cornelia sobbed as she too, hugged her mother as if she was a last resort.

Elizabeth hugged her daughter with the same force. She cried shamelessly as her eldest daughter cried silently in her shoulder. She stroke Cornelia's hair. Harold hugged his wife and daughter. Though he didn't cry, he seemed to have it difficult.

Everyone kept staring at the two families, who were silently crying out of happiness. Caleb and Cassidy had come after hearing the commotion and were now standing with Taranee and the other Warriors, looking happily at the two families. Cornelia and Irma broke the hug with their parents, Irma still tracing her mother's face to make sure that this was real.

They then both turned to their younger siblings. Both hugged each other, still having a small fear towards their sisters. That fear soon vanished when they got hugged. Chris had almost the same height as Irma while Lilian reached Cornelia's chin. The four siblings hugged each other, remembering with a smile that none of them would have done this a couple of years ago.

'Chris… Little brother.' Irma whispered softly. 'I missed you.'

'I missed you too, sis.' he said.

'Lilian. There are no words for me to express how proud I am of you.' Cornelia said in between some sobs. 'And I'm sorry for what happened.'

'It wasn't your fault.' Lilian said with a couple of sobs. 'It was thanks to you that I knew what to do. Cornelia…I missed you.'

'I missed you too, little toad.' Cornelia said with a smile, making Lilian fake a pout at her older sister.

Irma broke her hug with Chris and gave him a meaningful look while shooting a glance at Lilian who was still embracing Cornelia.

'So… When is the wedding date?' she asked her little brother with a smile.

Chris looked a little confused at his sister until he realized what she was implying. His cheeks reddened quickly as he glared at his sister. Lilian and Cornelia broke their hug after Irma's jest and Lilian had the same color of red on her face.

'Be careful Irma. I can hurt you too!' Lilian threatened, hoping that neither Cornelia or Irma would continue on the teasing.

'I'm more afraid of your sister, or should I say my soon to be step-sister?' Irma said with a smirk towards Cornelia.

Cornelia caught Irma's jest and acted along.

'And Christopher.' she said, deliberately using Chris' full name, just to annoy him a bit more. 'I expect you to court my sister. No touching her at inappropriate places. Have her returned to my family by ten P.M. And if I catch you kissing her I'll give you one heck of a reason to stay away from her. Oh yes, if you break her heart, I'll break your bones. Without my powers.'

Chris literally paled at what Cornelia said but Lilian was getting angry with her sister.

'Stop it!' she demanded.

'Already protecting your boyfriend? I thought it was the other way around?' Irma teased. 'Just keep the kissing to a minimum. I like to keep my food inside.'

The others saw that Lilian was starting to glow with magic. Their older sisters seemed to notice it too as they seemed to try to make the two settle down.

'Calm on you. We're just teasing you.' Cornelia said as she placed her hands soothingly on Lilian's shoulders.

'Cut us some slack. We've been enthralled for years. You have no idea how frustrating it is to work with Corny, yet never argue with her.' Irma said with a grin.

'You can say that again. Never thought I would miss it to hear you call me Corny.' Cornelia said with the same grin.

The two women laughed with each other. Lilian and Chris grinned at each other, glad to see their sisters were back to normal.

'Are we forgotten or what?'

Irma and Cornelia stopped laughing and looked at the source of the voice. They saw Joel, Cassidy, Caleb, Mandy, Angelo and Taranee standing behind them. The women had a smile and some tears rolling over their face while the men were just smiling. Irma and Cornelia rushed at Taranee and Cassidy, hugging the two of them first.

'What are we? Chopped liver?' Angelo asked, faking hurt.

Cornelia flashed him a playful grin while Irma responded as she still hugged Cassidy.

'Turn into a woman. Then we talk.' she said with a smile.

Angelo fake pouted while Cassidy laughed with Irma. Cornelia and Taranee were grinning to as they separated.

'Taranee…God…I'm sorry for the things that happened…your family…' Cornelia said.

'Don't worry about it.' Taranee said with a wry smile. 'I've accepted it and so should you.'

'That's how I remember our fire girl!' Irma said as she tackled Taranee and hugging her tightly.

'Irma…Air!' Taranee gasped.

Irma loosened her grip a bit but kept hugging Taranee. Taranee sensed her emotions. Irma had always been good at hiding behind her jokes and jests, but Taranee could sense it. The hatred that was blazing for Hay-Lin and herself. The sadness of all the things she'd done. The feeling of wanting to give up on life, because she thinks that no one really accepts her. Because, after all the lives she destroyed, she didn't deserve to live. Taranee had felt the same feelings from Cornelia though her hatred for Hay-Lin was a little less. Maybe because Cornelia and Hay-Lin weren't best friends like Irma and Hay-Lin were. She hugged Irma a bit closer.

'Irma, it's okay.' she whispered softly. 'No one blames you. Just don't give up.'

Irma's eyes showed her emotions now but she quickly managed to cover them as she glared slightly at Taranee.

'You are still into the mind reading business, I presume?' she said softly.

Taranee shrugged.

'Can't blame a girl for trying.' she said.

Irma smiled a bit before releasing the hug. Cornelia and Cassidy broke from their hugs as well when two other people hugged them. Angelo was quick to hug Cornelia. He was sure that his feelings considering the blonde were real but still weak. He didn't want to rush anything yet and he wasn't even sure of Cornelia's feelings towards him. But the beast inside him couldn't help but purr as Cornelia's warmth was enveloping him. Angelo smiled a bit as he held Cornelia close.

Cornelia noticed how quick Angelo was to hug her after Cassidy. She also noticed Angelo's…improved appearance. The black pants really showed his butt and the short-sleeved shirt made his muscles come out nicely. It was the knuckle gauntlets and the small round shields that gave away that he had to be in some sort of transformed state. Somewhere in the back of her mind a blurry memory was popping up but she wasn't sure about it. What she did notice that Angelo was looking better than she could remember. She made a mental note on commenting on the outfits of her friends as she loosened the hug.

Caleb and Irma had shared their hug, happy to see their old friend again. They loosened their hug quickly and switched partners. Angelo hugging Irma and Caleb hugging Cornelia. the latter were a bit hesitating because of their break up. Caleb took the initiative to hug Cornelia. Cornelia, though no longer having feelings for him, couldn't help but feel comfort in his arms. Both remembered the day they broke up. The day things went wrong.

_Flashback, 5 years ago:_

W.I.T.C.H., Angelo and Caleb were standing in front of gate 5. They were there to say goodbye to Will, who was about to go to Great-Britain. Caleb had taken Cornelia aside. He was sure about his feelings for Will, but he couldn't show them as long as he was with Cornelia. But he knew Cornelia didn't love him anymore. She'd became more distant from him ever since that Angelo guy had moved to Heatherfield. Not that he actually cared about that. He'd lost interest in Cornelia around that same time. Will had shown true character during the fights and the battle plan she'd thought of to defeat Phobos had stunned him. He was sure that that was the reason for his diminishing interest in Cornelia.

'Cornelia…I' he started but Cornelia placed a finger on his lips.

'Caleb, I know what you want to say.' she said.

'You do?'

She nodded sadly.

'Both you and I have been together for a long time…but we're not exactly soul mates.'

He laughed uneasily at that. The only thing they had done, asides from their few romantic times, was arguing. He argued with Will but she always kept the fire in it. Never using her powers to win. Cornelia dumped him a couple of times in the river if she was losing the argument.

'So it's better if we just break up. Right?' Caleb said softly, not wanting to hurt her.

Cornelia smiled sadly and nodded. She hugged him. Not kissed him, but a simple hug. He hugged her back, glad that this was over and that they still remained friends.

'Hey lovebirds! Will is leaving soon!'

He rolled his eyes at Irma's sarcasm and he and Cornelia walked to the group.

'So some quick snogging or something?' Irma asked with a wink.

'Nah, more like a quick break up.' Cornelia replied airily.

The looks on the faces of their friends were priceless. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were open.

'Serious? I thought that you guys would be together, like, forever!' Hay-Lin said surprised.

'Seriously now? With all the fighting they've done I was surprised that it held so long.' Will said.

Caleb scanned her face and saw a small flicker of happiness in her eyes. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared but he was sure Will was happy with the break up.

'Last call for flight 467. London.'

Will looked up and then at her friends.

'Well guys. This is it.'

'We'll miss you.' Hay-Lin said as she hugged Will.

'E-mail us when you get there.' Irma said as she hugged Will.

'Or call us. You can call collect to me.' Cornelia said with a smile while hugging Will.

'Stay save, will you?' Taranee said with a hug.

'I expect a mail everyday of the week from you, missy.' Angelo said playfully as he hugged her.

'Will…' Caleb said.

She hugged him. He felt her breath in his neck and he felt his ears getting warm.

'See you around, rebel boy.'

She let go of him. He immediately missed the warmth of her body. He had to tell her. She turned around and walked into the gate. Hay-Lin ran after her and hugged her one more time. Will smiled at her bubbly friend and softly pried Hay-Lin's arms off her. Hay-Lin struggled a bit, seeming not to want let go of Will. Will managed to break free from Hay-Lin and Hay-Lin slowly walked back to the group, waving sadly at Will.

'Will!'

Caleb walked towards her but got stopped by the stewardess.

'Sorry sir. But the plane is about to depart.'

'But I have to…' Caleb tried.

He looked at Will who gave him a sad smile. Her mother had appeared behind her. She looked at her mother and then back at Caleb. She waved sadly at him before turning around. She and her mother walked to the plane for Great Britain. Away from Heatherfield. Away from him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw that the hand belonged to his now ex-girlfriend. She smiled sympathetically at him.

'Don't worry.' she said. 'She'll be back.'

_End Flashback_

The hug ended and both smiled at each other.

'Caleb, you don't want to see Will seeing you like this, do you?' Cassidy asked with a grin.

This made Cornelia and Irma look very interested at Caleb and Cassidy.

'Something we missed?'Cornelia said with a smirk.

'Only that Will and Caleb are a couple!' Mandy said with a girly squeal, making the men who knew her wonder how old Mandy really was.

They started wondering that about the other women as well when Cornelia and Irma started to squeal like teenage girls, followed by Taranee and Cassidy. Caleb started to feel a bit embarrassed with all the attention.

'Since when?' Cornelia asked happily.

'Since three days ago!' Taranee replied with a smile.

'Why did it take so long?' Irma moaned.

'You know them. Both acting tough on the outside yet being scared on the inside.' Mandy said with a shrug.

'Where is Will anyway?' Irma said as she looked around, searching for a new target to tease.

'She's sleeping since she teletransported us all to here.' Taranee said. 'After helping us dethrall the two of you, shielding everyone, teletransporting us and securing the basement she was pooped.'

'I think she's getting lazy.' Angelo interjected.

'Don't let her hear that or the two of you will go for a round two.' Mandy said with a smile.

'Wait…Will dethralled us?' Cornelia asked surprised.

This made everyone look confused at Cornelia and Irma, who in turn looked confused at the rest.

'You don't remember?' Joel asked surprised.

'Remember what?' Irma asked annoyed. 'I remember being Hay-Lin's lapdog. Though a lot of parts are blurry. I don't exactly recall seeing Will other than fighting against us or working for Hay-Lin.'

'Ditto for me.' Cornelia said with a nod.

This made the others look surprised at each other.

'It seems that long time enthrallment erases parts of the memory.' Taranee said pondering.

'That's great.' Irma said darkly. 'That means the gruesome stuff I remember doing is only half of what I actually did.'

'Don't think like that Irma.' Cassidy said seriously. 'Maybe it's better that you've forgotten. If not, you would properly already hanged yourself.'

'Maybe it's not too late for that.' Irma said softly.

'Irma Lair! I will not see you throw away your life before you have redeemed it!' her father said sternly. 'That's not how we raised you.'

Irma looked at her father with watery eyes. She hugged him again and tears flowed again.

'You're right dad. You're right.' she sobbed.

He hugged her close and whispered soothing words in her ear, settling her down.

*God, please let this be real. Everything feels more and more like a dream.* Irma thought as she let go of her father and wiped her tears away.

She then put a smile on her face and sat down, looking up at Taranee.

'Seeing that Corny and I miss some details, please enlighten us.' she said, hoping to mask her sadness.

Andrew wasn't here and from the bits she could remember she knew that he was always with Angelo, Cassidy, Joel and Mandy. Maybe he hated her for the things she'd done. Maybe she wasn't worthy of his love.

Taranee and Mandy picked her thoughts up and smiled sadly, knowing that the years of enthrallment had made a dent in Irma's once so solid confidence. They, however, sat down with the other Warriors and Caleb and started explaining. Some of the Arkhantanians brought them some food as they too, sat by to listen. The explanation took two whole hours, with Irma's jokes and interruptions, but in the end both Cornelia and Irma were silent.

'So…Will is the new bigwig, huh?' Irma said slowly.

'Bigwig?' Angelo questioned confused.

'Irma's term for the Oracle.' Taranee explained.

'I see.' Angelo said, making a mental note of the nickname.

'And you guys are the Warriors of Erutan?' Cornelia asked, eyeing Cassidy's new form better.

'Yep.' she replied.

'I must say, it really suits you.' Cornelia complimented.

'Thanks.' Cassidy said as she showed a bit more of her Warrior form. 'But this is nothing. You should see Andrew.'

Irma reddened a bit. She had been thinking about Andrew and was wondering where he was.

'Where is he?' she asked a bit quietly.

'He's on the look-out. He should be back any second now.' Mandy replied with a grin.

'What's going on here?'

The group turned their heads to see Andrew approaching. He stopped moving when he noticed that Irma was awake.

'Speaking of the devil.' Cassidy muttered to Taranee, getting a giggle out of her.

'I..Ir…Irma?' Andrew asked, not sure if his eyes were deceiving him.

Irma got up slowly and looked at Andrew with the same expression. After everything that had happened a part of her was still believing that this was a dream. A dream that would end when she kissed Andrew. The two kept looking in each other's eyes, not daring to break the spell that was laid upon them. Andrew and Irma slowly walked closer to each other. Nobody said a word as everyone fixated on the couple. After staring at each other and taking the new features, such as Andrew's Warrior form and Irma's ripped dress, in Andrew took the initiative. He slowly reached for Irma's cheek, but Irma stepped back, looking sideways and with that breaking their eye contact.

What was he thinking? Why did he approach her? These thoughts ran through Irma's head as she felt new tears welling up. After all, she didn't deserve his love.

'Irma?'

Her name, that ran so unsure over his lips, gave her shivers. She turned her back to him, not daring to look in his mesmerizing silver grey eyes, who were brimming with so much love and concern just for her. Concern and love she didn't deserve.

'Andrew…It's all my fault…If I had just paid more attention to Hay-Hay she would never…This would never happened…' she said between sobs, letting the tears roll freely over her cheeks.

She could see that Cornelia was agreeing with her and partially taking the blame of this too. She too hung her head low as Irma continued.

'I…I swear I…I never wanted to those horrible things… It was the spell.' she cried softly, yet everyone could hear her clearly. 'But that's no excuse…Andrew…I…I understand if you don't love me anymore… I wouldn't be surprised either…'

This was too much for Andrew to take. He moved swiftly and grabbed Irma's hands firmly, forcing her to look him in the eyes. Startled blue met concerned grey and Andrew slowly wiped a tear away.

'You're right.' he said. 'I do not love this Irma.'

Irma hang her head in shame and pain, while Taranee and the female Warriors gasped surprised. Andrew had only been talking about freeing Irma and now that she was free he became uninterested? Chris was about to say a couple of things to him, which would involve a firm beating for hurting his sister like this, but stopped when Andrew tilted Irma's head up, so she still looked in his eyes. The firm stare of Andrew had softened to a loving look.

'I love the Irma who fights when something unfair had happened to her. I love the Irma who complains and jokes about everything in this whole universe. I love the Irma who can bring a smile on my face with her smart mouthing. That's the Irma I love. The real one.' he said.

He then kissed her and felt how Irma's tears now ran over his cheeks. Irma, herself, was cheering loudly in her mind. So hard that Taranee and Mandy both had to suppress a smirk as they watched the happy couple. This was, for Irma perhaps the best day ever. Even better than the day Andrew proposed.

She broke the kiss and smiled lovingly at him, way too happy that everything that had happened was real and no dream.

'What did I do to deserve you?' she asked him.

'Being the world's most annoying and smart mouthing woman to ever walk around on Earth.' Andrew replied before the two kissed again, now with more passion as they both felt that they had some things to catch up on.

'Hypocrite.' Chris muttered annoyed as he watched his sister kiss.

Lilian smiled and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush again and smile at his girlfriend. Cornelia was smiling with Taranee and Mandy, glad to see things were getting back to normal. Everyone had a small smile on their faces as the two were finally breaking their kiss. Irma attached herself to Andrew's arm and smiled at him. Andrew returned the smile.

'So…What now?'

It was a real innocent question but no one had a good answer to it. They had all agreed on waiting for Will to wake up before returning, but now that Irma and Cornelia were awake, they weren't sure what to do. Taranee had gone to look at Will and the others remained silent. Waiting on a sign.

'Get your lazy ass up!'

Not exactly the sign they had been waiting for but it was certainly something. The Warriors along with Caleb and the families Hale and Lair went towards Taranee's scream of annoyance. They arrived at a quite comical scene. Taranee was prodding Will's butt with her foot while Will, who seemed to have conjured a pillow in her sleep, was holding onto said pillow in a vain attempt to stay asleep.

'Taranee!' Will moaned like a little kid, making everyone who had witnessed her "serious face" wonder how a person could act so different. 'I want to sleep some more! Try to dethrall two people who then start rampaging and protect the people around you from their attacks! Then we can talk.'

'No excuses!' Taranee said annoyed. 'You're awake and that means we can return. I do NOT want to stay here any longer as possible.'

'Let me be, you damned firefly.' Will muttered equally annoyed as she turned around.

Taranee's hair caught fire at Will's antics and was planning on waking her up, no matter what. She again prodded Will but this time she added some fire to it. This made Will feel a burning sensation at her rear making her shoot up immediately and glaring at Taranee while nursing her butt.

'You will pay for that Cook!' she bellowed and started chasing Taranee, who had already taken the liberty of running.

'She's apparently still into frogs.' Cornelia commented softly at the sight of Will's frog underwear that was visible through the scorch mark in her pants.

This made the others laugh loudly while Will had finally managed to repay Taranee by burning a great chunk out of her pants. She then restored her own, even though knowing that the damage was already done. Taranee was cursing slightly, saying things like: "And she's supposed to be an Oracle" and "A toddler would be better fit."

Will answered with a glare which Taranee all too gladly returned.

'Sorry to interrupt this amusing encounter.' Cornelia said with a smirk. 'But it's really nice to see you again Will.'

This made Will turn her glare to Cornelia but it immediately softened at the sight of her dethralled friend. She hugged her closely and she felt that Cornelia was shedding some tears.

'Relax, I never blamed you or Irma. Not for the training. Not for your actions.' will whispered in her ear, making Cornelia look at Will with a small smile.

'So that means you're not trying to get a payback?' Irma asked as she now hugged Will.

'Define payback if you please.' Will said with a small smirk on her face.

Irma grinned at Will, knowing that she was joking around. Will grinned with her and hugged her again.

'Say, if you're the bigwig now, should we call you like one too?' Irma asked as they broke the hug.

Will frowned at the term "bigwig" but shook her head.

'No. You guys can call me by my name. But if I were you I wouldn't call me bigwig again.' she added dangerously, making Irma gulp and nod at the warning.

'Good morning to you.' Caleb said to Will with a smile.

'Morning.' Will replied with an equal grin.

Caleb moved to her side and gave her a small kiss on the lips, making Irma whoop and Cornelia smile. It had taken too long for those two to become a couple.

'So can we go back now?' Joel asked. 'I think we all are a bit tired and at the base we can at least sleep peacefully.'

Will nodded but before doing anything else she turned to Ari and Maqi. Both had been on guard as well and mostly avoided the ruckus that had been happening.

'Lord of Arkhanta, we have a bit of a problem.' Will said.

Irma and Cornelia raised their eyebrows at Will's sudden regal tone but Taranee signaled them that she would explain later.

'I know.' Ari replied a bit grim. 'If I were to remain on Arkhanta there would be a chance for Hay-Lin to come and try to claim the Heart of this planet. But I cannot leave my people alone and your base cannot house a complete planet population.'

'You can always leave your regent here and join us to the Infinite City of Metamoor.' Will proposed. 'And I'm afraid your son has to come with us, for Hay-Lin will use him.'

'I can protect myself!' Maqi defended himself.

Will shook sadly her head.

'You've seen of what two raging Guardians are capable of. Hay-Lin can do that on her own and more.' Will told him, making Maqi pale a bit.

'I do not want to leave my son alone.' Ari stated calmly. 'But I can't leave my people behind either.'

An Arkhantanian with blonde hair came up to the three and bowed his head low.

'If I may, my Lord.' he asked.

'Speak Taril.' Ari said to the man.

Taril bowed again and spoke up.

'I agree with the Oracle. You need to be save at all costs, just as my Lord's son. Please take the Heart of Arkhanta and reside at the rebellion's base. I, your regent, will hold things together and will contact you if there is another attack.'

Ari was looking troubled but in the end he sighed. He knew that this was the best option.

'Very well.' he said as he handed Taril a stone. 'When the stone turns red you create a fold with it and send our most powerful warriors through it, understood?'

'Completely, my Lord.' Taril said as he bowed his head. He then turned to Will.

'Oracle, if I may?' he spoke with equal respect.

'Speak, Taril of Arkhanta.' Will said calmly. 'What thoughts wander through your mind?'

Irma nearly laughed out loud if it wasn't for Taranee, Cornelia and Andrew to clasp their hands around her mouth to keep her quiet.

Taril bowed and spoke, not looking up at Will.

'The men and women that are now currently residing on the planet with the rebel base… Do you mind if they return?'

'Your wife and newborn son are among them, am I correct?' Will said calmly.

'Yes, ma'am.' Taril said. 'I…I want to see them one more time before the great battle.'

'Understandable, yet this is something I cannot answer you. For Ari is the one who speaks for his people, not me.' Will replied before looking at Ari.

Ari thought about the situation and deduced that it would be better if the Arkhantanians returned to Arkhanta. That way, they wouldn't burden the rebellion too much.

'They will return.' Ari said with a nod, making Taril bow to him in gratitude.

'Thank you, my Lord.'

Ari placed a hand on Taril's shoulder.

'You're welcome, my friend.' he said.

'That solves one problem.' Will said as she turned and eyes Cornelia and Irma critically.

The two backed a bit away from the look.

'Do you two remember seeing the Guardians?' Will asked them seriously.

Irma and Cornelia thought about it, closing their eyes and rubbing their heads.

'I remember a bit.' they both said.

Will nodded before speaking further.

'The Guardians, all five of them, are scared of you.' she said bluntly.

This made everyone look surprised at Cornelia and Irma, who both hung their heads knowing quite well why the new generation was terrified of them.

'But Irma and Cornelia were enthralled!' Chris defended. 'They know that! Why would they be scared of them now?'

'Trauma's caused by them, even though they were enthralled, aren't things that go over quickly.' Will said sadly. 'That's why I ask you not to approach the Guardians unless anyone of us is near you or when they approach you. Especially Ehren and Edeline are shaken by you. Considering they have the same powers as you do.'

Irma and Cornelia nodded a bit sad, but they understood. They had done a lot of gruesome things and they were quite sure that the Guardians had seen them doing those things. Andrew grabbed Irma's hand soothingly and she smiled at him. Taranee placed her hands on Cornelia's shoulders, making her smile a bit too.

'Don't worry. It will all end well.' she said soothingly.

Cornelia and Irma nodded and smiled at their friends. They couldn't believe that after everything that had happened, their friends just acted as if nothing had happened. Their families accepted them too and Irma even had her fiancé back.

'Then we will return.' Will said as she created a fold. 'Once the fold is closed the spell on the basement to hide us from Yan-Lin's sight will disappear. It would be wise to leave in groups so to not raise any suspicion.'

The remaining Arkhantanians nodded and two groups left already. Others said goodbye to their lord and finally the rebels, accompanied by Ari, Maqi, Irma and Cornelia returned to Metamoor.

* * *

><p><em><strong>[AN] And how about it? I hope you guys liked it! Anyway, there will come more on Will's "creepy" attitude or "leader mode" since some people were seriously freaked out. But now Irmy and Corny are back! Yay! Please note that Cornelia accepts it when Irma calls her Corny. It are those little things that make you appreciate your free mind.**_

_**Also note Hay-Lin's behavior in the Flashback. It will be important for further chapters. Maybe you can figure out yourself what I mean with that.**_

_**Any questions? Ask them! And yeah, a review is immensely appreciated. Also, school has begun and I'm entering my last year…so I HAVE to study to make it to college…Which means less frequent updates, though I try to end it before Christmas…**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 (3.0)**

Three days. It had been three days since Cornelia and Irma betrayed her. Three days since she became all alone. Well, that wasn't true. She was always alone. You are born alone and you will die alone. Those so-called "friends" are nothing more than people who take a pity in you. But once you've outgrown their pity, they see no reason to stay with you. That was something Hay-Lin learned a long time ago. She thought she had outgrown certain feelings when she finally figured the real meaning of life, but now those feelings were haunting her. She couldn't grasp why she was feeling sadness and grief. The last time she felt that was a long time ago, around the same time when she figured out that the concept of "friends" was nothing more than a pretty word for heartless humans whose only purpose is to make you feel less alone until you depend on them. Then they let you fall into the darkness and make you realize that you're alone.

Hay-Lin had decided to speak with her grandmother over her doubts and…ugh…feelings. These feelings weren't worthy to roam inside her. She was above them. Just like her "friends". They were a specimen that was higher than humans, for they had evolved. They had the powers of the elements and no normal human could stop them.

Hay-Lin looked around as she pulled herself from her train of thoughts. She saw the brilliant white halls, with here and there some blood stains. The sight of the blood stains made her smile. The fools of Kandrakar had gotten what they deserved. Holding peace over the known worlds is a bit difficult when you're dead, huh?

She walked through the halls. She passed a room with a giant sand sculpture of a castle. When she looked she saw how the sand tried to move, how it tried to change its shape. She smiled with pride as she saw how her air wall prevented the sand from changing its shape.

'Give it up, Sandpit.' she said softly. 'You can't get through. You are too weak.'

The sand moved a little bit before it was roughly pushed back by the air barrier around it. Hay-Lin laughed a bit before moving on. She passed the small doghouse and noticed that the creature in it tried to press itself against the back of the doghouse. Hay-Lin bent forward and looked through the bars, seeing a very clean, green, wrinkled little man in it.

'Hello Blunk.' she greeted mockingly. 'How're you doing?'

Blunk pressed himself, if possible, even more against the back of the doghouse and looked scared at Hay-Lin.

'No Blunk bath!' he yelled scared. 'Blunk too clean! Blunk wants momma!'

Hay-Lin laughed coldly before turning back to him.

'I'm sorry, but your mother is long gone. Unless you want to join her of course.' Hay-Lin replied.

Blunk seemed to actually think about the threat but then shook his head. His eyes suddenly shone with great determination and even a bit of pity.

'No. Blunk will live.' he said simply.

Hay-Lin noticed Blunk's sudden change. She raised an eyebrow, but ignored him. She got up and walked further when he heard Blunk call out.

'Guardian girly will punish bubbly girly! Blunk knows!'

This made Hay-Lin turn angrily and shoot a blast of pure magic at Blunk's doghouse. The doghouse got hit with an enormous force and shot to the other side of the large room.

'Do not speak of her in my presence.' Hay-Lin muttered darkly, well aware that Blunk couldn't hear her. He was most likely unconscious by now.

She walked further, feeling more agitated and angry than before. She bursted through a pair of doors and saw her grandmother floating in the middle of a pond that was contaminated with the blood of the former Oracle. This room, the Congregation Room, was also soiled with blood. The pond, over which Yan-Lin was floating, had a reddish color after Hay-Lin's assassination of the former Oracle and the benches that were in a stairs-like way around the room had several bloodstains on them.

Yan-Lin seemed to be meditating when Hay-Lin bursted through the doors. Hay-Lin breathed slowly and heavily, feeling that her control over her anger was slipping. Her grandmother seemed to have heard her because she slumped in her posture and sighed annoyed before opening one eye.

'What's wrong with you?' she asked rather brisk. 'Can't you see I'm busy?'

Hay-Lin ignored her grandmother's annoyed tone. She walked to her and pulled her from her place above the pond. Yan-Lin looked annoyed with her granddaughter's course of action but didn't blame her. After all, the child had chosen for a hard destiny, a destiny she had decided to join her in.

'I need to talk. Now.' Hay-Lin said briskly, her anger and sadness evident in her voice.

Yan-Lin raised an eyebrow, remembering when the last time was when she heard Hay-Lin's voice like this. Yan-Lin took her to the benches and sat her down. With a wave of her hand she made tea appear and offered her granddaughter a cup.

'I see that you are troubled, my child.' she said.

This normally would have sounded caring and loving, much like it was in the old days, though after choosing this path Yan-Lin couldn't feel those feelings anymore. Those feelings, love and care, died with her the same day as Hay-Lin went dark. Now her voice was cold, though it still held concern. Concern for her position, not for her granddaughter.

'It…It's Will.' Hay-Lin replied, sipping from her tea. 'Why is it, that for one instance everything seems fine and the other everything is going wrong?'

'That's how most things work, my child.' Yan-Lin replied. 'Life is about balance. The good balances the evil. Light balances the dark. That's why Kandrakar was created, to keep an eye on that balance.'

'That's not an answer.' Hay-Lin replied annoyed.

'Nor is it a question.' Yan-Lin countered.

Hay-Lin looked annoyed at the older woman and was contemplating on killing her grandmother.

'I wouldn't do that. If you did and succeeded then Will would acquire all her Oracle powers and you would lose.' Yan-Lin told her, letting her know that she'd read her thoughts. 'Next to the fact that you wouldn't succeed at all because I am not such a fool as Himerish.'

Hay-Lin scowled at her grandmother before getting back to her topic.

'Grandma, why do I feel like this?' she asked, knowing her grandmother knew of which she was talking.

Yan-Lin looked at her and Hay-Lin saw her thinking. After a long while Yan-Lin answered.

'Because you still believe in those childish and foolish thoughts.' she replied. 'That they were your friends. Once betrayed is always betrayed, remember that.'

'That makes no sense.' Hay-Lin replied annoyed. 'I didn't feel any attachment to them!'

'You are lying to yourself.' Yan-Lin told her calmly.

'I am not.' Hay-Lin replied. She immediately cursed herself for sounding so childish.

'If not, then tell me. Why did you try so desperately to get Taranee to join you?' Yan-Lin asked her.

'Because her powers would have come in handy.' Hay-Lin replied without missing a beat.

'Are you sure?' Yan-Lin replied.

Hay-Lin didn't reply so Yan-Lin continued.

'Then why were you trying to make Will jealous at first?'

Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow, not exactly knowing what her grandmother meant.

'Excuse me?' she asked.

'You know what I mean.' Yan-Lin replied. 'Why did you tell Will the things you'd done? You know very well that you would only make things more difficult for you if you told her, yet you did. Why?'

Hay-Lin fell silent. Why did she tell Will those things?

'I…I…wanted…her…I..no..'

Hay-Lin shook her head in sheer disbelieve. She wouldn't have…She couldn't have… She looked almost pleadingly at her grandmother but she only stared back, forcing her to say it.

'I wanted…her acknowledgement?' Hay-Lin said surprised by herself.

Right after she said it she felt sick. How could she have wanted acknowledgement of the one who caused it all? Somewhere in the back of her head she could swear she could hear Her laughter…Will's laughter.

The cup she was holding in her hands broke by the force with which she was grabbing it. It exploded a bit and shards and hot tea were shooting different ways. Most of the hot tea streamed over her hands but Hay-Lin ignored it. An anger coursed through her. She looked at her grandmother, who was looking disapprovingly at the broken cup.

'Why?'

Her voice was broken and tears fell from her eyes. Yan-Lin looked up and saw to her shock that her granddaughter was crying.

'Why do I care so much about her acknowledgement? It's her fault my life got destroyed!'

Yan-Lin watched how Hay-Lin was slowly getting herself together. She breathed slowly and started to smile.

'She should acknowledge me.' Hay-Lin mumbled more to herself than to her grandmother. 'I'm in control. I control Earth, Meridian, Zamballa and even Dreadmore! She could never do such a thing.'

Yan-Lin smiled as she saw that her granddaughter was regaining control.

'I foresee that this war is nearing its end.' Yan-Lin spoke as she waved her hand and made the tea and broken cup disappear. 'You better prepare yourself. You don't want to lose from her, do you?'

Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow at her grandmother.

'I don't know if you're still alright in your head but, Will has Oracle powers. She can easily defeat me.'

'That's true, next to the fact that she has some allies, though I'm not sure how many.' Yan-Lin said with a nod. 'But if you manage to weaken her enough I can kill her, eliminating our greatest threat.'

Hay-Lin smiled evilly at her grandmother.

'You're right.'

With that Hay-Lin immediately turned around and stalked away.

_In the Rebel base_

Angelo walked calmly through the base. From far he heard several explosions and bangs. He even thought he saw a giant flare of fire.

'Cornelia, Irma and Taranee are training again…' he said softly with a smile.

He turned around and decided to go to the kitchen. He had been planning on going to Will but when he noticed that Taranee, Irma and Cornelia were training he was quite sure that Will was training as well. A sigh escaped him. Since they returned things had changed.

Most of the rebels were completely against Irma and Cornelia. They never believed that Irma and Cornelia were enthralled and were treating the two as if they were walking, talking bombs. Even though Will had asked them to embrace Cornelia and Irma the same way as the rebels had done with the Arkhantanians only a handful complied. Other than the Warriors, Caleb, Taranee, their own families, Will, Maqi and Ari, Martin and Alchemy only a few rebels accepted them and most of those rebels were orphans. And G.E.N.I.E. wasn't exactly helping.

To be honest, G.E.N.I.E., Chris and Lilian had been acting pretty weird ever since they returned. Will seemed to know what was wrong and had asked the Warriors to take over the training of the Guardians. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Will a lot in the main base. She was mostly away training or with Caleb, Martin and Taranee planning things. He had the feeling it had to do with Will's sudden change in attitude right before they went to Arkhanta, though he wondered slightly why neither Natasha or Georgi were fazed or scared of Will. It kinda worried him that the Guardians, or at least three of them, didn't dare to near Will. It was already hard enough that they refused to get near Cornelia and Irma but if they let their fear for Will grow it could end disastrous.

He shook these rather depressing thoughts away as he passed a small group of kids. Martin was teaching them something that looked like math and Angelo saw some kids sleeping through the lecture. He smiled as he shook his head before heading inside the kitchen tent. Right after he entered it he nearly bumped into a certain group of five. Ehren, Edeline, Ilana and Chris were sitting in the tent and Angelo had nearly bumped into Lilian who was holding a full tray of food.

'Angelo!' she said surprised.

Angelo smiled at her before walking around her and sitting with the kids.

'Hey you guys.' he said. 'Hungry?'

'Duh. Why else would we be here?' Ehren said as she rolled with her eyes.

'Touché.' Angelo said with a grin of his own. 'But where are Natasha, Georgi and Maqi?'

'Nat and Georgi are showing Maqi some skills they obtained in the assassination squad.' Ehren replied with a shrug. 'We've seen it already and went for something to eat.'

Angelo nodded.

'I see.'

A silence then fell down upon them and some of the kids were feeling a bit awkward. Angelo wanted to ask them about their feelings concerning Will, Irma and Cornelia and the kids knew he was about to ask when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Lair entered the tent.

'Angelo, there you are!' Anna Lair said happily.

Angelo looked up and waved at them.

'Hey there Mrs. Hale and Lair!' he said. 'Care to join us?'

Mrs. Lair and Mrs. Hale walked over to them and smiled sweetly at Angelo. Angelo recognized the smiles as the ones Irma and Cornelia used if they needed something to be done. He sighed.

'Angelo, we need new vegetables and fruits.' Elizabeth started.

'But we want them to have some sunlight instead of this crystal light here in the Infinite City.' Anna added.

'Let me guess. You want me to go and search for some ground we could use to grow fruits and vegetables?' Angelo asked.

'Exactly!' Anna said with a smile. 'And please tell it to Cornelia so she can grow some more. If that doesn't work then we'll ask her to create some more farmland here in the Infinite City.'

Angelo smiled.

'Okay okay! I'll go.' he said. 'But only because you ask so nicely.'

'Thank you.' Elizabeth said with a warm smile. 'Now if you would excuse us, we need to start preparing dinner.'

With that both women walked away, leaving Angelo with the kids behind. Angelo got up and stretched out.

'Well better get going.' he said. 'No better time than the present. Besides, if I'm lucky Will will go lunch soon or at least take a break and then I can speak with her about…'

He didn't get any further because immediately after he said "Will" the five kids jumped up and tugged his sleeve.

'Can we come with you?' Chris asked hastily.

'Yeah! We want to go outside! The last time we've seen the outside was when we attended Julian's funeral!' Ehren moaned.

Angelo raised an eyebrow. Something was telling him the kids were making an excuse to avoid Will. He thought that this would be a perfect way of talking to them about this particular subject. He nodded.

'Very well. Let's go.'

The kids cheered and were quickly following him. Angelo decided to take a different entrance then they've used so far. When he walked out of th entrance he looked surprised around. A shiver ran through his being while the kids were all gasping in surprise and then started cheering. In the few days between the raid on the food storages and now, a white blanket of snow had wrapped Meridian in a wintery version of itself. Angelo couldn't help but admit that it was beautiful though he wished there wouldn't be any snow. The snow would prevent the plants from growing and that the temperature would drop in the Infinite City.

The kids behind him weren't that concerned about it. They looked surprised around.

'Wow. Didn't know it was winter.' Chris said.

'I wonder when Christmas is?' Lilian asked.

'What's Christmas?' Ilana asked.

She got some surprised looks from the other kids.

'You don't know what Christmas is?' Chris asked surprised.

'Santa Claus? Pine tree? Eggnog?' Ehren asked.

Ilana shook her head confused.

'No, what's that?'

'It's a holiday we celebrate on Earth.' Angelo said. 'To celebrate the birth of Christ. But it's also the day on which Santa Claus goes around the world and delivers presents.'

'You go to your family, stuff yourself with delicious food and get presents the day after!' Ehren said excited.

'That sounds nice.' Ilana said with a smile.

'Oh it is!' Chris said with a smile. 'Just you wait, maybe we'll celebrate it.'

'I hope so!' Lilian said with a smile of her own.

'Heads up!'

Lilian, Angelo, Chris and Ilana looked up and saw a snowball heading their way. Ilana got it right between her eyes, making her yell out of surprise and shot a fireball to the direction the snowball came from. Ehren yelled scared as she dodged the fireball.

'What was that for?' she asked annoyed.

Ilana wiped the snow of her face and glared angrily at Ehren.

'You attacked me!' she accused.

'I didn't!' Ehren countered.

'You threw a snowball! We're not training!' Ilana replied annoyed.

'Sorry Lini.' Ehren said, aggravating Ilana with the new nickname. 'But this is called "fun". But, since you come from this rock of a planet, I suppose you don't know what fun is.'

Ilana glared at her.

'Of course I do!' she said. 'At the end of clumber fest we cook and eat an ox. And if you reach a certain age you get a chicken skinned hat and then you'll get dunked in a tub with freshly squeezed grape juice!'

This made the other kids look weird at her while Angelo snickered a bit.

'Yeah…How fun that may sound…' Ehren said with a roll of her eyes. 'I was more looking along the lines of spontaneous fun. Like a snowball fight!'

Ilana's eyes widened and a grin spread on her face. Ehren backed a bit away.

'Oh, but I've known you long enough to know what you mean with that!' Ilana said.

With that she grabbed some snow and ran at Ehren. Ehren reacted too slow and Ilana pushed the snow in her face. She then ran further while giggling hysterically. Ehren spit out some snow before turning to Ilana.

'Oh it is so on!' she yelled and made a snowball.

Soon all the kids were fighting in the snowball war and Angelo was trying to stop them. Next to the fact that it was cold they were also walking in enemy territory. The chance that they would get caught by a patrol was big. The kids didn't seem to think about it as they were playing like never before.

'Guys! Hey!' Angelo said as he waved his hands.

This got answered with a barrage of snowballs and Angelo ducked quickly behind a tree. He decided to stay behind the tree and to wait for them to rage a bit out. It didn't take long or the sounds started to diminish and Angelo looked from behind the tree. Ilana was the only one who didn't seem fazed by the cold. She was making a snow angel while Ehren and Edeline were looking shocked at her while they were moving their arms around each other in a faint attempt to stay warm. Lilian and Chris had the same surprised look on their face as they hugged each other for warmth. Angelo stepped away from his hiding place and smiled at them.

'Had your fun I presume?' Angelo asked.

Ehren gave him a laugh through chattering teeth.

'Haven't had so much fun in a long time!' Ilana said with a smile.

'Ho-How c-c-come y-you do-don't f-f-f-feel it c-c-c-cold?' Edeline asked.

Ilana shrugged but Angelo replied.

'She's the Guardian of Fire.' he said. 'Her powers keep her warm. Taranee could walk on her bare feet here and don't feel cold.'

This made the other kids shiver. The idea of walking through the snow on bare feet made them shiver. Angelo gave his jacket, that he'd been wearing before they went out, to Ehren and Edeline in an attempt to keep them warm.

'Let's go back.' he said. 'It's way too cold for us here.'

'NO!' the five teens said simultaneously.

'Whoa!' Angelo said as he jumped back a little. 'Where did that come from?'

'Nothing!' Chris said as he scratched behind his ear. 'We just want to play a little more!'

'Y-Yeah!' Ilana added. 'It's been so long since we've been able to play so freely!'

'But you're freezing!' Angelo countered. 'You guys are all chattering your teeth!'

'N-No we're n-not!' Edeline said through her chattering teeth.

Angelo raised an eyebrow. Edeline had actually blue lips and Ehren was even paling a bit.

'It seems to me that you five don't want to return to the base.' he said with a critical look.

'What! No! Of cour-course not!' Lilian said with a shake of her head and a big smile which Angelo easily recognized.

'Then why are you giving me the same smile Cornelia gives when she's afraid or nervous?' he said while rubbing his chin.

'But I'm not!' Lilian defended herself.

'No! She's not afraid or nervous!' Chris added.

'Yeah! Why would she?' Ehren added. 'It's not like we're afraid of Will or nervous to see her and…uh-oh…'

'Ehren!' the other teens exclaimed annoyed.

'Oops!' Ehren said as she clasped her hands in front of her mouth.

'So that's what the big problem is!' Angelo said satisfied. 'Ilana, can you create a small fire?'

Ilana nodded and focused. A small fire appeared and everyone went to stand around it.

'I kind of figured you guys were scared of her.' Angelo said as he looked through the group.

'You did?' Ehren asked surprised.

'Yep.' Angelo replied as he warmed his hands. 'I'm guessing you five freaked out about the way Will was acting a few days ago, correct?'

The teens looked away. All of them had those feelings but weren't too happy with it.

'Well..yeah.' Ehren said slowly. 'This was the first time I saw her like that.'

'She always seems so nice and fun to be around.' Edeline added. 'Seeing her like that was very scary.'

'I've known Will since Chris and I were kids.' Lilian said, making Angelo raise his eyebrow at the "kids" comment. 'But seeing her like that scared me!'

Chris hugged her closer and Lilian gave him a small smile.

'She reminded me of the guy in the assassination squad who'd ordered my torturing.' Ilana said with tears in her eyes. 'It always felt like we could go to her for comfort, as if she really knew what was bothering us. But that…I don't think I like that side of hers.'

'It's okay Ilana.' Angelo said as he placed an arm around her, knowing she needed the comfort the most.

He wiped some tears away and rocked her a bit, reminding what Caleb had said about how they'd found her. It angered him that there were people who could do something that low and still smile with it. It also broke his heart. No child should have gone through something like that.

'Listen up you kids.' he said, making himself feel old. 'I understand that it was a bit of a shock to see Will like that, but you guys are all forgetting an important thing.'

'And that is?' Ehren asked.

'That she's been through worse.' Angelo answered. 'You four (he nodded at Ehren, Edeline, Chris and Lilian) don't understand how it goes in an assassination squad. Edeline, you've been there for a too short notice to actually say you know.'

This made the four look surprised. Okay, they hadn't thought about that but they weren't quite sure what meant for Will's behavior.

'Ilana, Natasha and Georgi can tell you that it is not exactly a walk around the park.' Angelo continued, hugging Ilana a little closer. 'And Will had to lead them. All the assassination squads on Earth. That's most likely the reason why Natasha nor Georgi is afraid of her. Because they've already seen her acting like that.'

'Yeah…so?' Ehren asked, still not knowing why this would explain it.

'Being the leader of the assassination squads is not exactly the best job you can have inside Hay-Lin's organization.'

The four kids together with Angelo looked surprised at Ilana. Ilana looked at her feet as she continued speaking.

'I've heard that the job is extremely cruel. To become the head of the squads you need to kill the current head. And to stay on top you have to show no mercy, or else you'll be killed. I've seen it once. The guy was acting rather gentle and while he helped me with some crates that needed to be replaced someone else snuck up behind him and killed him.' she said softly.

'Wow… I don't think that made me feel any better…I mean, she killed someone just to get that job!' Ehren said, sounding even more afraid.

'Will had to.' Angelo said, getting the attention.

'Why's that?' Lilian asked. 'I don't see a reason to kill someone.'

Angelo looked sadly at the teens.

'Hay-Lin threatened her mother. If Will wouldn't obey her, she would lose the last family she had.' he told them sadly.

'No way!' Ehren blurted out.

Chris looked confused at him.

'How's that possible?' he asked. 'Will told us her mother was dead.'

'Hay-Lin lied. After the first year Will had joined her she'd ordered to kill Will's mother, hoping Will wouldn't find out that her mother was killed on her command.' Angelo said with a heavy voice.

'I wondered what happened after that she found out…' Lilian said softly.

A silence befell the group as they progressed the new information.

'This doesn't change anything.' Ehren said stubbornly as she crossed her arms. 'I mean, look at Georgi! If it wasn't for Natasha, the girl would still be as cold as a freezer! Who says that this isn't just a whole big trick of hers? Who says that she accidently let her guard down back then?'

Edeline, Chris, Ilana and Lilian looked at her with big eyes. Lilian shook her head.

'No way. Will wouldn't!' she said with the same stubbornness.

'I just say: What IF she turns all wacko? What then?' Ehren said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Angelo, despite the subject, chuckled slightly. Ehren looked at him with raised eyebrows.

'What?' she asked.

'Nothing.' Angelo said. 'You just remind me of Ir… someone.'

Ehren's face fell into a pout making Angelo look in wonder at the similarity between her and Irma. He quickly shook it off as he saw how the other kids were still not too happy on returning to the base.

'You know what? I have to talk to her anyway, so what if I speak with her about this?' he proposed.

'Well in that case…Let's go back to the base!' Lilian said as she took several steps towards the rebel base.

'Oh! So now that I'll talk to her you are brave enough to return to the base?' Angelo asked.

'Duh.' Chris said with a big smile.

'It's always on me.' Angelo said as he rolled his eyes. 'Fine! Let's return!'

'I know a quick way!' Lilian said as she grabbed Chris and teletransported away.

'HEY! What are we? Flocks of snow?' Ehren yelled in the clear air, knowing Lilian couldn't hear her anyway.

'Sure, Ehr. Yell in the air. If you turn up your volume we may be lucky to be caught by Lurdens, guards or assassins.' Edeline said as she rolled her eyes.

She got answered with a snowball in the face. When she'd wiped the snow off her face she saw Ehren smiling at her with three snowballs hanging in the air. Edeline quickly blocked two with telekinesis before returning the favor by throwing a snowball at Ehren.

'You will get it!' she threatened as she started to chase Ehren, who was laughing like a five year old.

'Catch me if you can!' Ehren sang as she again dodged a snowball.

Angelo smiled at the two girls, shaking his head a little. He then noticed that Ilana was still not too happy with the prospect to return to the base. He placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him.

'Still scared?' he asked her.

She diverted her gaze from his eyes to her shoes, fumbling a bit with her hands. Angelo saw that there was maybe something else that was bothering him. He went on his knees so that he was at eye height with Ilana. He gently tipped her head up, making her look at him. He noticed small tears of fear in her eyes. He wiped them gently away.

'Hey, what's wrong?' he asked her gentle. 'What's worrying you?'

Ilana took a couple of slow breaths and then spoke her concerns.

'I…I..' she started. 'What if…What if she thinks I'm weak for feeling like this? What if she thinks I'm not worthy of being a Guardian anymore? What if…?'

'Whoa whoa! Stop right there young lady.' Angelo said, interrupting her. 'You shouldn't think like that. You are not the first Guardian who's afraid or freaked out of something. Will nor Taranee were big heroes when they started. The tales I've heard from them. You should ask them sometime. And believe me, Will wouldn't stop you from being a Guardian.'

Ilana looked at him with big eyes, not knowing how to react to this kind of scolding. Angelo smiled with a gentle smile.

'You really think so?' she asked unsure.

'Of course I do.' Angelo said. 'But, seeing how you're concerns are a bit worse than those of the others, I think it would be a good idea if you told this Will yourself. Though I'm pretty sure she already knows. But I think it's better if you speak to her face to face.'

Ilana paled a bit. It was true that Will had been gentle with them but after that shocking revelation of her "other" side Ilana wasn't too sure about that.

'B-But…But!' she stammered.

'Don't worry.' Angelo said, sensing the danger. 'I'll be with you.'

'Promise?' Ilana asked him.

'Promise.' Angelo answered with a smile.

Ilana hugged him and Angelo hugged back. After the short hug Angelo smiled at her.

'Ready to tell?' he said.

Ilana nodded. Angelo focused and he, together with Ilana, teletransported away.

Only later would he know that he'd forgotten about two other kids. The two of them appeared in the rebel base near the training fields. Angelo, who had an arm around Ilana, noticed that it was too silent. He moved Ilana and together they walked to the training fields. When they arrived at the spot where normally Taranee, Irma and Cornelia were training they only saw a lot of scorch marks, small pools of water and the floor in rubbles. But no sign of the three ex-Guardians.

Ilana gave a small sigh out of relief, not wanting to confront Irma and Cornelia but Angelo raised an eyebrow. They'd been training non-stop for three days now and suddenly they were gone? He shook the worry away and moved to where Will was supposed to train. He could ask Will where the three were. Ilana quickly caught up with him and attached herself to his arm. When the two came to Will's training area they again noticed a lot of scorch marks and some of the pillars had holes in them. The floor itself was half destroyed, holes were everywhere and rubble covered a lot of space. In the middle of the ruin they saw Will sitting. She was sitting in a lotus position and flying a bit above the ground with her eyes were closed.

Ilana backed a bit away. Even though Angelo was with her she didn't want to interrupt Will in her meditation. Who knows what could happen? She could become angry again…or worse.

Angelo on the other hand, placed his hand on her back and stopped her from backing away. She looked a bit scared at him but he smiled, beaming with confidence. Ilana nodded silently and, together with Angelo, she walked to Will.

Angelo cleared his throat, hoping to get attention from Will. It seemed to work as Will sighed a bit before opening her eyes. However, she remained her position in the air.

'I see you've been busy.' Angelo said with a smile as he waved to the rubble around them.

'Yes, we've been at it for quite a while now.' Will replied calmly.

Angelo raised an eyebrow. Next to the fact that Will said "we" instead of "I" she was also way to calm and not Will-like.

Will's eyes diverted to Ilana, who gulped but kept her ground. A smile formed on Will's lips.

'I see. So the Fire Guardian is the one who will voice the concerns?' she asked calmly.

Ilana nodded slowly, knowing that Will already knew about the concerns. She wanted to start but Angelo stopped her.

'Where is Will?' he asked, eyeing "Will" suspiciously.

This "Will" rolled her eyes in annoyance, showing for the first time since this conversation started a certain emotion.

'She is with the two rebel leaders and two ex-Guardians.' this "Will" replied in annoyance. 'The ex Fire, Water and Earth Guardian came somewhere in the middle of our training and asked her to "chill out" with them above the ground. She asked me to meditate for as long as she was taking a break and only sent people up if it was important. The other rebel leader quickly joined them.'

'Then…who are you?' Angelo asked a bit confused.

'I'm an Astral Drop.' Astral Will replied. 'She gave me the half of her Oracle powers and we've been at it since the day we returned.'

'Aha…' Angelo said. 'You're not going to pull the same trick as the other one did a few months ago, right?'

Astral Will smiled at him.

'No. I only posses the same powers as the Oracle. I don't feel the emotions she feels for you, the Guardians or anyone else. You can say that I'm the Oracle version of her.'

Angelo nodded.

'So…Where can we find her? It's kinda urgent.' he said while pointing at Ilana.

'Seek near the grave of an old warrior. They should be there.' Astral Will replied before resuming her meditation.

Angelo signed to Ilana that they had to move away so to leave Astral Will in her meditation. They walked away quietly until they were out of hearing range.

'So…What now?' Ilana asked, hoping to postpone the conversation.

Unfortunately for her, Angelo wasn't planning on waiting.

'We go and find her.' he said.

With that he walked away with Ilana slumping in his wake.

Meanwhile outside Ehren and Edeline had been throwing snowballs at each other, with and without their powers and they'd been running through the forest for a long time. Only when both stopped their assaults because of the need of air they turned around.

'Hey Ehr…' Edeline said a bit concerned. 'Do you know where Ilana or Angelo are?'

Ehren looked around but she didn't recognize anything. She looked back in the hope that they could follow their footprints but then noticed that, because of the fight, they accidentally erased them. She put a false smile on her face.

'Don't worry Eddy.' she said. 'We're just too far away to see them. I bet they thought we already went back to the base.'

'Too bad we can't teletransport like the others.' Edeline moaned a bit. 'But our powers aren't strong enough…'

'So what?' Ehren said. 'I'm telling you that I can find our way back with my eyes closed.'

Edeline raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she followed Ehren. They walked for a good twenty minutes when Edeline broke the silence.

'Say Ehr, maybe you should close your eyes. We should have been there by now.'

Ehren scowled at Edeline, who smiled back sweetly. She was about to yell a retort to her best friend when they suddenly heard some voices.

'Your form is way off!'

The two girls looked surprised at each other. They recognized the voice as Irma's but they didn't understand. What did Irma do outside the base? She wasn't supposed to be alone. The two girls slowly walked to a bush and peeked through the branches, hoping that Angelo's brown coat would camouflage them enough. They saw Irma standing in front of the lake where Julian was buried. She had her arms crossed and was shaking her head disapprovingly as she glared at another person. Cornelia was skating with some makeshift skates on the ice and was performing several moves while Irma was complaining about them. Next to Irma, laying in the snow, was Taranee. The two girls shivered when they saw that Taranee wasn't wearing anything else then a T-shirt and a short skirt. She didn't even wear shoes. A little further away were Will and Caleb sitting next to each other while leaning against a tree. The snow that was supposed to lay beneath them had melted away and the two were sitting on the ground. Will as leaning her head on Caleb's chest with a smile gracing her face while Caleb had his arm wrapped around her, holding her close. Will was also wearing Caleb's coat to protect her from the cold. The two were also looking at Cornelia.

'Keep your back straight! What are you? A walking sack of potatoes?' Irma yelled at Cornelia.

Ehren had to bite her tongue. How dared Irma to insult Cornelia's form? Ehren was surprised of her own thoughts. She was almost defending Cornelia….Why would she? Cornelia was nothing more than a lowly killer. Just like Irma. But Ehren couldn't help but be amazed of Cornelia's grace. Ehren herself was a rather good ice skater, she even had a golden medal, but she could only marvel at Cornelia as Cornelia made another axel.

'Irma quit your whining. You can't do even half of what Cornelia can.' Taranee said with an annoyed sigh.

'Let me whine!' Irma retorted. 'You can't complain. You're laying here in the snow as it's freaking summer! I have it cold and I've got nothing better to do!'

'So you're just going to annoy us with your complaints to keep yourself warm?' Caleb asked lazily.

'Look that you can keep yourself warm with your love for Will doesn't mean that we all can share the warmth!' Irma said. 'You know, I think I liked the two of you better when it was just retorts, argues about leadership and friendly jests. you two are worse than a bear with honey!'

'Oh shush! You haven't seen yourself with Andrew. You're practically drooling!' Will replied.

A evil grin spread on her face as she continued.

'And then I'm not even talking about your more private moments with him.' she finished.

Irma flushed as she briefly looked speechless at Will. Her fists then clenched and glared at her.

'Apparently being an Oracle makes you forget the ethics of proper magic use.' Irma said.

'That coming from the girl who used her powers to influence the teachers whenever she got a pop quiz.' Will retorted.

'You can't blame me! They were completely irrational!' Irma said. 'Besides, you would think that you would receive extra points for saving the universe!'

'Yeah, can you imagine?' Taranee said sleepily. 'Sorry Prof. Collins but evil monsters are trying to destroy Earth so can you just give me a "B" for my next test while I kick their butts?'

'As if you needed that.' Irma said with a smile. 'You got good grades with or without monsters to fight.'

'True. True.' Taranee said with a smile of her own.

A silence ruled over the spot while Cornelia kept skating. When Cornelia made another axel Irma shouted again.

'What was that? Come on! Caleb can jump better than that!' Irma yelled at Cornelia.

At this Will, Cornelia and Taranee started giggling and Caleb pouted.

'Hey I can skate!' he argued.

'Of course you can.' Will said with a smile. 'Don't listen to those mean women.'

Caleb smirked at Will who smiled back.

'You're having too much fun with this, huh?' he said.

'Of course I have.' she answered.

The two shared a loving kiss when Irma started to make vomiting sounds. The two glared daggers at Irma while Cornelia finished her routine on the ice.

'After all these years you're still childish.' Cornelia said as she shook her head.

'And I do not intend to change.' Irma said proudly.

The group laughed again when they were interrupted by the sound of nearing people. They immediately got up and on guard. They relaxed when they saw Angelo and Ilana coming at them.

'What are those two doing here?' Ehren whispered through chattering teeth.

'I don't know.' Edeline said, chattering as well.

The two girls hadn't noticed that, despite the rush of adrenaline that had kept them warm for some time and Angelo's coat, they were slowly freezing. They still didn't notice it as they strained themselves to hear the conversation.

'I'm sorry to interrupt your…break.' Angelo said with an obvious frown.

'Don't you start too!' Irma moaned. 'You had no idea how much effort we had to put in to persuade Will AND her Astral Drop to hang with us!'

'I say nothing!' Angelo said with a smile as he held his hands up. 'But Ilana and I have something important to talk about with the Oracle.'

When Angelo mentioned Ilana; Irma, Cornelia, Taranee and Caleb noticed that she was hiding behind Angelo. When Ilana noticed there stares she smiled awkwardly while eyeing Cornelia and Irma with fear.

Will, knowing about what this was going, nodded.

'I know.' she said. 'But if you don't mind, I want to speak about this with just Ilana.'

Ilana's eyes turned to Will. A fear ran through her at first but the reassurance Will beamed made her almost forget about it. Angelo stepped in front of her.

'I'm sorry but I've promised her to stay with her.' he said.

'And what is her opinion now?' Will asked, still looking at Ilana.

All adults now looked at her while Ilana kept looking at Will. The fear that was still in her made her want to grab Angelo's arm but she saw a challenge in Will's eyes. As if Will was challenging her. And for some reason Ilana couldn't decline that challenge and Ilana managed to nod.

'I…I think I can do this alone.' she said.

Angelo, suspecting that Will was persuading Ilana with her powers, but couldn't do anything but nod. Will started walking and motioned Ilana to follow her. Angelo watched as how they were walking away before turning back to his friends. They were grinning at him and he then noticed something.

'Hey… Where is Irma?' he asked.

The others now looked around as well when suddenly a yell of terror caught their attention. They quickly hurried to the source and saw two very lightly clothed and very scared Guardians with Angelo's coat and Irma. Irma was looking a bit troubled.

'God! Ehren! Edeline! What are you two doing here?' Taranee said concerned as she, Angelo and Caleb ran to them.

Caleb quickly threw his coat around Ehren while Angelo tugged Edeline in his coat. Taranee created a small fire to warm the two girls.

'We're s-sorry!' Edeline said. 'We-we were just playing and lost the way! We heard your voices…and…and…'

'What were you two doing outside?' Caleb asked them.

Angelo paled a bit.

'I…I took them with me…To find some ground for vegetables….on Mrs. Lair's and Hale's request…But I thought they had returned!'' he stammered, getting a scolding look from Taranee and Caleb.

'Told ya.' Ehren muttered to Edeline.

She then noticed that Edeline wasn't paying attention to the three adults. She was looking at Irma and Cornelia. Cornelia had her arms crossed and Irma was looking guiltily at the ground.

'Good job Irma.' Cornelia said sarcastically. 'Scaring two little kids. You should be proud.'

'I'm sorry okay!' Irma said, looking troubled as well. 'I thought they were Lurdens or guards or I don't know!'

'Don't apologize to me.' Cornelia said annoyed. 'Apologize to them!'

Irma looked shocked at Cornelia and then crossed her own arms.

'No! They are Guardians. They should at least have a bit of courage!' Irma said stubbornly.

'Now you're being childish.' Cornelia retorted. 'As if you wouldn't scream when you saw your nightmare right in front of you!'

'Corny I'm looking right at you.' Irma replied with a grin.

Cornelia was growing more and more annoyed when Angelo placed his hands on her shoulders, calming her down. He then looked at Irma.

'She is right.' he said. 'You and Cornelia both have agreed to Will's demand of trying to avoid the Guardians as long as they aren't coming at you. You violated this. Apologize.'

Irma faltered as now Taranee and Caleb added in the glares. She sighed and looked at the two shivering girls. Both clasped themselves to Taranee and Caleb and Irma saw that, next to the fact that they were scared, they were shivering from the cold. She removed her coat and put it around Edeline. Edeline looked in shock at Irma while Irma put her friendliest smile on her face.

'Uhm… I'm sorry for scaring you…I thought you were the enemy…Kinda ironic huh? Seeing that when I was enthralled you were my enemy…And now I'm rattling and rattling….I sound like Cornelia…'

This earned her a slap on the head from Cornelia, who then smiled kindly at the two confused girls and added her coat to Caleb's on Ehren. Ehren almost shook it off before seeing the sorry look in Cornelia's eyes. They seemed more human than she'd first thought. But she wasn't going to give up on those thoughts too quickly. She crossed her arms and put her nose in the air.

'I don't know. What do you think Eddy?' she said, hiding her fear with jokes.

Edeline caught on to her mood and quickly joined in.

'I'm not sure either Ehr.' she said.

Irma and Cornelia raised their eyebrows, both recognizing the behavior.

'This is just creepy.' Cornelia said softly to Irma.

'I know, it's like looking in the mirror.' Irma murmured back before joining in the girls' jest.

She went on her knees in the snow and clasped her hands together in a begging fashion.

'Please! I beg of you! Pretty please?' she said, making the two girls feel terribly awkward.

Because they were taken completely off guard they couldn't do much then shrug their shoulders.

'Okay…' Ehren said unsure.

Irma smiled big time at them, scaring them a bit.

'Let's return to the base.' Taranee said as she took Edeline's arm.

Edeline nodded slightly and followed Taranee. Ehren quickly followed her and Cornelia and Irma ended the line. Both Caleb and Angelo stayed for two reasons. Caleb kept waiting for Will to walk back with her while Angelo waited to see how it went with Ilana and to speak with Will about another subject.

Meanwhile a little further away Will and Ilana were walking. Will was walking up front while Ilana was following behind. Ilana felt a bit awkward while Will seemed completely content. As they kept walking Ilana started to feel more and more self-conscious. She was even starting to wonder if Will was just leading her away from any witnesses.

'So, you're afraid of me?'

Ilana shot up from her thoughts and looked at Will's back. Will was still walking leisurely but she was sure Will had asked her this. The word "Yes" was already on her tongue when she swallowed. What if Will thought she was weak if she'd said that? What if she would become angry?

'No.' Ilana answered softly, making Will chuckle a bit.

'You know, lying to someone else is bad. But lying to yourself is a sin.' she said.

Ilana looked with big eyes at her as Will stopped in front of a large tree, with branches covered in snow. Will turned around and looked at her with a smile, though her eyes showed something that looked a bit like disappointment.

'Wh…What do you mean?' Ilana stuttered, not wanting to give the real answer.

Will reached out to her, making Ilana flinch a bit back. Will continued and softly laid her hand on Ilana's head, rubbing through her hair a bit.

'If you aren't scared of me, then why did you flinch?' Will asked her softly.

Ilana reddened a bit. She had shown her weakness. She closed her eyes and waited for her punishment when she felt Will's hand flicking her nose. She opened her eyes again and looked again at Will. Will was leaning against the tree.

'Tell me, what troubles you?' she said calmly.

Ilana gulped.

'Uhmm…don't you know it already?' she asked a bit confused.

Will nodded but kept looking at her.

'I do, but it's often better to hear your own thoughts from your own mouth in your own words than hearing them from someone else.' she replied.

'Well…' Ilana started, feeling terrible. 'I…When…When you acted that weird…that scary. When you acted so cold…It kinda reminded me of the assassination squad I was in….And of the man who ordered my tortures.'

'I see.' Will said. 'And because of these feelings you assumed that I would act the same?'

Ilana's eyes widened.

'No!' she said loudly, trying to not only convince Will, but herself as well. 'No! You would never do something like that!'

'Then why were you so scared?' Will asked her, still acting calm.

'I…I…'

Ilana was standing in front of Will without knowing what to say. She found herself looking for any other reason than the one Will had given her but she couldn't find one. She hang her head and looked sadly at the ground. She disappointed Will again. She had again lied to herself.

'I thought you would do the same as the man from the assassination squad.' she finally admitted.

Tears streamed down her face. She was furious. Not with Will or with the man who once ordered her tortures. But with herself. Why couldn't she do anything right? She was a failure as a daughter, as a member of an assassination squad and as a Guardian.

'Just do it.' she muttered.

Will raised an eyebrow at this. It wasn't difficult for her to feel the storm of emotions that was raging inside of Ilana, but she was surprised in the tone Ilana spoke. It sounded as if she was expecting something.

'Do what?' Will asked her.

'Hit me. Disgrace me. Take my powers away.' Ilana said angrily.

These words literally tore Will's heart apart. Not only was Ilana expecting that she would do such a thing but she was also thinking very lowly of herself. Even lower than Will once thought about herself.

'Why would I do that?' Will asked, now making sure to sound concerned.

Ilana looked up at Will, tears of anger rolling across her face that was also contorted in hatred. Hatred towards herself.

'Because I am a failure!' she almost screamed. 'I can't do anything right! I'm a lousy daughter! I couldn't protect my parents! I'm a lousy assassin! I couldn't kill someone! And I'm a lousy Guardian! I am too scared to be one!'

Fire was burning in her hands but she didn't care. The pain she had been feeling for so long was finally letting go. She had thought that she could redeem herself with being a Guardian, but she showed she was no good to be one. She was just too scared.

'You, young lady, will stop this immediately!'

Ilana was shocked up. Will had been using a tone she remembered from long ago, when her mother was still alive. It was the same scolding tone. She looked up and saw Will looking at her. Although her face was stern her eyes were soft with pain, regret and worry.

'You don't understand…' Ilana started but she was hushed by Will.

'I think I understand completely.' Will said now rather coldly, making Ilana move a little away from her.

Will laid a hand on her shoulder, stopping any further movement and crouched in front of her.

'I am sorry, Ilana.'

Ilana looked shocked at Will. Why was she apologizing? She wasn't out of line. Ilana looked confused and shocked at Will as she continued.

'If I knew this would happen I would never have gone to Great Britain.' she continued. 'If it were up to me then your first mission would be something simpler than this. But history can't be changed, only the future can. I'm sorry that your life has been so hard and that you now have this burden on you. I'm also sorry for my behavior. The year at the assassination squad has taken its toll on me too. Though this is no excuse, I should have been more careful and more patient.'

Ilana was still speechless and Will had now a weak smile on her face.

'Also, don't think of yourself as weak.' she said. 'You sound just like Georgi. None of you is weak for not being able to kill someone. It's perfectly normal and I'm glad you can't. It's a deed no child should do. And you couldn't save your parents. If you were there during the attack you would have been killed. They cannot blame you for this.'

Ilana nodded slowly. The things that Will was telling her was shaking her foundation of everything she believed. How could she not be a failure?

'And concerning your role as a Guardian.'

Ilana's back straightened and she looked almost fearful at Will. Though she had anticipated that Will would take her powers there was still a little hope that Will wouldn't take them. But now that hope seemed to be squashed.

'You worry too much.'

Ilana's eyes widened in surprise as a smile formed on Will's lips.

'When I started as a Guardian I was no hero myself. Heck! I was scared of the giant snake we had to fight! And then I'm not even talking about your predecessor. She had a phobia for everything! Spiders, small rooms, heights, a fear for toilets higher than a certain height.'

This made Ilana looked confused at Will, raising an eyebrow. Will smiled at her and Ilana was wondering if the last one was a lie or a joke. Will rubbed again through her hair.

'And you think you are scared? You are the only one of the five who dared to come to me and talk to me about this. Even though Angelo needed to help you a bit. The other four were too scared to tell it to me. If that doesn't show a certain degree of bravery than I'll eat my shoe.'

This made Ilana smile. The fear she had felt for Will had diminished to almost nothing and now a pride was welling up inside her. She'd been the only one who talked to will about this. And boy, was she going to rub that in their faces! Ehren, prepare yourself.

Will smiled at Ilana's thoughts and slowly pushed her forward.

'Let's return okay? Angelo and Caleb are still waiting and both aren't wearing a coat.' she said.

Ilana nodded happily and moved forward. Will followed her and soon they saw Angelo and Caleb. The two of them were talking to what seemed Joel and Cassidy.

'I swear! She came in with a large snowball thrown by Cornelia!' Cassidy said, making the two men laugh.

'I see everything is going okay.' Will said.

'Of course.' Angelo replied. He then looked at Ilana. 'And…how're you two doing?'

'Oh, our little problems are taken care off.' Will said with a smile.

Ilana nodded in agreement. Angelo smiled at her while Caleb came quickly to Will and wrapped an arm around her. Will, however, flinched back from his touch.

'Caleb! You're cold!' she said.

'Of course I am!' Caleb replied. 'I've been standing here without a coat!'

'Why didn't you return to the base?' Will questioned.

'Because he wouldn't go anywhere without the love of his life.' Cassidy said with a grin.

Will gave her a quick glare and Cassidy seemed to take the hint. Ilana didn't.

'Oh! That is so cute! I hope I'll ever find someone like him!' she said with a lovely smile.

She then also saw Will's glare and gulped. The fear might have diminished but there was still a bit. And that bit was now rapidly taking control of her. Cassidy and Joel sensed the danger and both were quick to grab Ilana. Cassidy placed her on Joel's shoulders, who groaned a bit under the weight.

'Let's move!' Cassidy yelled with a smile. 'Volcano Will is ready to erupt!'

With that Cassidy and Joel with Ilana on his shoulders took off towards the base. Somewhere in the distance they could hear Joel groan about Ilana's weight. The three remaining chuckled a bit before Will turned to Caleb, giving him a small kiss on his cheek.

'I'm fine. Return to the base, I'll be there in a sec.' she said.

Caleb nodded and quickly followed after Cassidy, Joel and Ilana. Will then turned to Angelo indicating that they should return as well. He nodded and the two best friends walked slowly back to the base.

'So….What's your question?' she asked him.

'I was wondering…Have you thought about my question?' Angelo replied.

Will frowned a bit before nodding.

'Yes. I am not really a big supporter of it but both Taranee and Caleb think it's a good idea so that we know exactly how the rebellion is doing over there.'

'So…?' Angelo asked slowly.

'Yes, you can go to Earth.' Will said with a sigh. 'But I warn you. I am NOT going to save your butt when you get it captured!'

Angelo smiled at Will who smiled back.

'Good enough.' he said. 'Besides, my booty is too fast for them to catch.'

'As long as that is clear.' Will said with a grin.

The two walked further in silence until they reached the entrance. Angelo opened it and bowed for Will as in courtesy. She smiled devilishly at him as she descended the stairs.

'I wonder if Cornelia would be quick enough to catch your booty.' she said.

Angelo flushed and looked wordlessly at Will who only smiled at him and gave him a finger wave.

'Wait what?' he said, but she was already gone.

He looked up with a sigh. If Will knew, Taranee and Mandy knew. And if Taranee and Mandy knew, Irma would know. And if Irma knew…then Cornelia would know… He saw that the sky was grey and the first flocks of snow were falling. He looked back and already noticed that the footprints to the base were gone, probably thanks to Will's magic. He sighed. Why were women this difficult?

* * *

><p><em><strong>[AN] And that was the chapter! That was a long wait huh? Sorry, I just had to learn…and learn… and learn. I really hate school. But now a little explanation. The 3.0 stands for the version number. When I first started I hated it so I deleted it. Then I tried again but that failed too. So this is the third version. Also I wanted to have Hay-Lin in this to keep it a little dark and for you to see how twisted she became. Though I still haven't given you a reason why (I'm mean I know). The snow part and the talk about Christmas was a) foreshadowing and b) to show that you still can have fun even in the darkest of times. But I think I've said enough. I hope you people are happy. It are 24 pages in Word. Probably the longest chapter of this story… And to think I warned you that my chapters would shorten… Maybe I should live up to my promises..**_

_**Anyway don't forget to review cause I like to read them and maybe they'll give my inspiration! Also, I think this story will be finished before Christmas. I have this awesome (yet cliché) idea for a Christmas story based on this one (it came to me while mowing the grass…) So I need to finish this one. Good night and I hope you enjoyed it!**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Days passed. Several rebels were growing tired of the training they were going through. It had been nothing but training and moving the camp. It seemed that Hay-Lin had restarted the search parties of the Infinite City and they'd encountered two groups of Lurdens over the days. More and more rebels were warming up to Irma and Cornelia, though there was a large group who still despised them. Not only because most of these rebels lost their homes or families thanks to those two, but also because Irma and Cornelia seemed to have all the luck in the world. The Oracle was on their side, they still had their family, one was engaged and next to the fact that they had magical powers they were also very good assassins. Perfect. That was maybe what irked the rebels the most. That they had a perfect life for today's standards and yet they were still complaining.

The Guardians, however, were no big part of this group. Although they were still scared of Irma and Cornelia they seemed to have warmed up after what Ehren and Edeline told them about their encounter. This didn't mean that Ehren and Edeline were accepting any training from them. They were still extremely wary of the two women, though they weren't trembling anymore whenever one of the two was near.

Angelo had been several times to Earth, checking up on rebels and his family. Everything seemed rather stable there. While in the Infinite City, Angelo either trained with his fellow Warriors, Edeline or Cornelia. He had told Edeline once again that she needed to advance in her use of the Earth element before she could learn the armor coating trick. With Cornelia he trained mostly alone, after she was done with Irma and Taranee.

Today, they had trained again. Now they were standing opposite of each other while Angelo dispatched his armor.

'You can do that with everything?' Cornelia asked curiously.

Angelo nodded.

'As long as it is a non-living material I can use it as an armor.' he said.

'So it would work with earth as well?' Cornelia asked.

'Sure.' Angelo said. 'Watch.'

With that he placed his hand on the floor and immediately he was coated in the light blue stone of the floor. Cornelia had raised her eyebrows in amusement. Angelo turned to her.

'Do you want to learn it?' he asked her.

'What?' Cornelia said surprised.

'Do you want to learn it?' Angelo said again.

Cornelia eyed him critically. She knocked a couple of times on his chest and then nodded.

'It seems pretty tough, the armor I mean.' she said.

She then shrugged.

'Ah, why not? It would be better for me to walk in an armor of my own element then to walk in those metal like things Ari and Maqi are making for the rebels.' she said.

Angelo grinned and started explaining how to coat yourself in earth. What neither of them knew was that a certain girl was standing behind a pillar. Edeline had been watching the training between Taranee, Irma and Cornelia together with Ehren, but when Irma left, Ehren left. They had decided to look at those trainings in the hope of copying any moves but so far nothing had worked. Now she was looking with increasing jealousy how Angelo taught Cornelia how to coat herself in earth. She got even more annoyed when she saw how easily Cornelia managed to do it.

'Great job Cornelia!' Angelo said impressed.

He, himself, had practiced at least a week to cover him completely in earth but Cornelia managed to do it on her fourth try. Somewhere he assumed she'd either done it before or that she was a talent. Either way, she was a fast learner. He smiled at her.

'Now let's see how good you are with moving and fighting in it.' he said as he opened the attack.

He grabbed some of his shields on his belt and threw them at her. Cornelia crossed her arms in front of her and all shields collided with her armor, but the armor stayed strong.

'Sneak attack huh?' she said with a smile of her own. 'Let's see what you can do against this!'

With that several vines shot up from the ground and wrapped around Angelo's legs. Angelo placed his hand on the floor and covered himself in an earth armor as well. He then reformed his hand in a sword and cut himself loose.

'Tada.' he said before jumping at her.

Cornelia rolled out of the way and face palmed herself.

'I forgot. You can make weapons in this state.'

'You can do it too!' Angelo said. 'Just focus.'

He then noticed that Cornelia already knew this. In fact, while he'd spoken she had already moved behind him. As he turned around he saw that her hand was also transformed into a sword and she slashed at his armor. The force of the blow was stopped but Angelo could feel Cornelia's magic seep in his armor from the tip of her sword. His armor fell apart and her sword ripped through his shirt. He jumped away, creating distance.

'Foul play!' he said with a smile.

Cornelia dispatched her armor and flipped her hair.

'I do not know what you're talking about.' she said ignorant. 'I'm just acting on the best of my ability.'

Angelo grinned as he ripped the rest of his shirt away. It would only stop his movements. He again went into a fighting stance when he noticed that Cornelia's eyes were wide with shock. She placed her hands before her mouth and gasped.

'Please. Please tell me that I wasn't the one who did that!' she said.

Angelo looked confused at her until he remembered. His scar was now clearly visible. He quickly placed a hand over it while he waved hastily with the other.

'No. No. No!' Angelo said quickly. 'No! An assassin with a Japanese accent did this! You didn't do anything!'

Cornelia seemed to relax a bit and Angelo walked to her to calm her completely down. He hugged her and felt how her heavy breathing went through her body. He then felt how she placed her hand on his scar. He felt how the magic ran over it and he quickly separated from her. He saw that her hand was glowing green.

'Cornelia..What are you…?' he started.

'I…I try to heal it.' she said. 'You don't…You don't have to walk with that. It's torture.'

Angelo gently took Cornelia's glowing hand and Cornelia stopped her magic flow. He looked her in the eyes and saw that there was more than just concern.

'Don't.' he said. 'I know it's more meant to torture me. To mock my family. But I accepted it. It helps me to keep going.'

'That's not it.' Cornelia mumbled.

'Pardon?' Angelo said.

Tears sprung in her eyes as she turned away from him. Before Angelo could say something she spoke.

'I…When I look at it….It makes me regret myself. That I hadn't foreseen this.' she said.

Angelo looked a bit helpless at Cornelia. A small laugh escaped her, making him wonder if she was going insane.

'Kinda sad isn't it?' she said. 'I was fussing about my own mark while you've got it worse.'

She turned her head and looked at him. Angelo raised his eyebrow, not immediately knowing what she was talking about.

'When Irma and I were enthralled…Hay-Lin placed a tattoo on our backs…' Cornelia started.

Angelo's eyes lit up with recognition and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

'I know. Will told me about it.' he said softly.

'Both of us are marked. And both by Hay-Lin.' Cornelia said softly. 'Only when someone sees my back, they will know who I am…'

She stopped there and took his hand off her shoulder. Angelo wondered what was wrong but said nothing.

'I'm sorry.' she said. 'But I've got to go. I…need to do something.'

With that Cornelia took off. Angelo was standing still, wondering what was wrong with Cornelia. Whatever it was, it was hard. A small sigh escaped him. He was close in telling her. Although he was still not sure about it. He just hoped that Cornelia liked him too. He placed his hands in his pockets and slowly walked to camp.

Edeline came from behind her pillar. The things weren't adding up. Everything she, and the other girls had seen from Cornelia when the latter was still working for Hay-Lin had given them a image of Cornelia and Irma. The image that they were evil, not caring, vile and dangerous. But ever since they arrived here at the rebel base they were acting completely different. More human like. Natasha and Georgi were actually already trying to get a sort of bond with the two, apparently not afraid or at least hiding it. Ilana stayed on the side lines, first observing then acting. But Ehren and Edeline both didn't want to socialize with them. They were still evil, though the more Edeline saw of Cornelia and Irma, the more she started to doubt. Maybe they weren't that bad.

Several more days passed and Angelo returned with the news that Christmas was nearing. Many rebels were happy to hear it until Taranee and Caleb had to pull the plug out of it. They couldn't prepare for the feast because that would occupy too many rebels at once, making them vulnerable. This discussion was being held in the dinner tent during dinner, since all the rebels were there.

'I'm sorry, but we simply cannot celebrate Christmas. It could end disastrous.' Taranee said clearly, getting a lot of boos and mumblings back.

'I bet that if those two killers weren't here, we would have celebrated it.' one of the rebels said a little too loud.

Irma and Cornelia both heard the comment and Irma got up, staring angrily at the man.

'Are you implying something?' she asked him with a growl.

The man, unfazed by her attitude, got up as well.

'Oh yes I do!' he said. 'Everything went fine until you monsters came! Now we're training like idiots for a battle that will never come because you're postponing it!'

This statement created an uproar. Several rebels sided with the man, yelling things about how monstrous Cornelia and Irma were and that it was their fault things went wrong, while others (mainly their families and friends) sided with Irma and Cornelia, claiming that the rebels were blinded with hatred and that they were just looking for a black sheep. The last group remained silent, not seeing the point of yelling or simply not having a real opinion on the matter. Taranee and Caleb tried with all their might to silence the rebels but their voices couldn't reach them. While Taranee was contemplating how bad it would be if she shot some fire at the rebels, she noticed that Will got up. The grim look on Will's face told her enough to know that Will was not happy with the current topic. She went to stand next to Taranee and turned to the rebels.

'SILENCE!'

The word was pronounced with such power and authority that the people just fell silent out of shock. They all stared at Will, who was looking a bit ticked off.

'First off, I could be wrong but I was under the impression that we were having a peaceful dinner.' she started. 'Yelling and accusing the other is not a way to dine peacefully. Secondly, accusing and judging Irma or Cornelia for their past crimes is something you cannot and should not do. You do not know the full extent of the problem. Thirdly, if Taranee and Caleb say that you guys can't prepare for Christmas, then so be it!'

The rebels, who were against Cornelia and Irma, were actually scowling at Will, while the others were smiling appreciatively at her. Taranee and Caleb glared at the group. Will was about to go back to her seat when the man who started the riot shouted again.

'You're one heck of an Oracle. You let your personal opinion cloud your judgment. Everyone here agrees with me that those two are monsters!'

Before a riot could start over again, Caleb had his sword pointed at the man's neck. Nobody had seen him pull out his sword or even seen him move, but no one dared to get close. Will sighed a bit. If it weren't for Caleb she would have probably lost her cool. Before anyone could speak Irma and Cornelia got up.

'Will, don't mind if I take your training spot.' Irma said rather harshly before pushing out of the tent.

'Taranee, I'll take our spot.' Cornelia declared before storming out after Irma.

G.E.N.I.E. who were sitting at the entrance of the tent, had noticed that both women had tears running down their face as they left. Wondering why, the five secretly snuck out.

Will, nor any of the other rebels, missed the smirk on the man's face.

'They would have killed me right here if their precious Oracle wasn't near.' he scoffed.

He felt how the tip of Caleb's sword was pushing deeper in his throat.

'Mister Thomas. It would be wise for you to shut up.' Taranee said coldly. 'This is called insubordination. And the only fitting punishment would be abandonment. But, seeing that you know too much of our base, we will find another way to punish you…'

'You don't need to.'

Everyone looked up at Will and saw that she was still holding her cold look.

'His anger is only polluting his thoughts. He will see that he's wrong.' she said. 'But, if you Mister Thomas, ever dare to pronounce these sort of things again, you can be sure that Caleb, Angelo, Andrew, Taranee, Mr. and Mrs. Hale, Mr. and Mrs. Lair, Chris, Lilian or me will happily cut off your tongue. I hope I'm clear.'

Thomas' face paled under the threat and slowly nodded. Caleb, resisting the urge to cut his tongue now, took away his sword and Thomas sat down. Slowly everyone resumed their dinner. Before Will sat down she tapped Angelo and Cassidy on their shoulders.

'Could you two take a look at Irma and Cornelia for me? They need some help.' she said softly.

Both nodded with a sad smile and quickly went out of the tent.

'I'll take Irma. You Cornelia, okay?' Cassidy said with a grin.

Angelo raised an eyebrow but nodded. When they arrived at the training grounds they quickly parted ways. Will's training ground lay a whole lot further away from the camp while Irma's, Cornelia's and Taranee's lay a bit closer. As Angelo neared he noticed several statues that resembled Hay-Lin. Before he could admire how much they looked like her he saw something big approaching in a high speed. He used his own super speed to move out of the way and saw how a giant boulder squashed several statues. He looked to where the boulder came from and he saw Cornelia. She was encircled by several stones while her hands glowed green. A set of rocks shot at a couple of more statues but somewhere in the middle of the route the stones grumbled, creating small bullets of earth that penetrated the statues. Angelo was quite sure that this was Cornelia's way of venting her anger.

'Cornelia!' he said, gaining her attention.

Cornelia looked at Angelo and mumbled something incoherent before throwing another rock at a statue. Then, without a warning, she collapsed to the ground with her hands in front of her face. Angelo hurried over and crouched beside her. He could hear her crying. He gently placed his hand on top of her back.

'Cornelia? Are you alright?' he asked.

Cornelia didn't answer. Instead she pulled him closer and continued to cry on his chest. Angelo slowly placed his arms around her and held her. He could feel her pain and was wishing she didn't feel it.

'Why can't they just accept us?'

Angelo looked at her and saw her still crying form. He knew that she wasn't crying out of sadness, but out of anger.

'It…It's difficult.' he said.

Another laugh came from Cornelia.

'It's funny.' she said. 'Years ago, when we first received our powers, I thought of myself as a monster.'

She released herself from his grip and looked sadly around. The rubble was spread everywhere.

'That was before I figured out that we were doing it to help people. We were heroes, Angelo. Heroes. But then…this happened…And now not only I, but everyone else sees me for who I really am. A monster.' she said as she made her hand glow green.

Angelo didn't like it how Cornelia was talking about herself.

'Cornelia, no…' he said as he walked to her.

'Yes.' she said somberly. 'The only thing I've done with my powers since I got them back was hurting people.'

'But it wasn't you who did that!' Angelo said. 'You were enthralled. No one should blame you for that.'

Cornelia gave him a small smile. Angelo decided he should continue.

'A monster wouldn't feel like this.' he said. 'That only proves you're human. You're no monster.'

Cornelia smiled a little at him. A sudden urge washed over Angelo to kiss her slowly. He took her hand and moved slowly to her. But Cornelia stopped him by taking her hand back and turning away.

'I just wish that the others would see it the same way you did.' she said sadly.

'There might be a way.'

Both Cornelia as Angelo jumped up. They turned around and saw Will walking at them with a smile.

'Will! Would you never do that again!' Cornelia said as she clutched her heart.

Will giggled a bit.

'Don't worry Corny, this will happen more often.' she said with a smile.

'You said you knew how to make the others see that Cornelia is not a monster?' Angelo asked interested.

Will smiled at him. Both Cornelia and Angelo recognized the smile and smiled on their own.

'All we need is a pine cone from Earth, some decorations and some of Irma's never melting ice sculptures.' she said.

'I see where you're going.' Cornelia said with a smile. 'That could work. We just need to keep it silent from Caleb and Taranee.'

'I'm sure you will.' Will said. 'Now excuse me but I've got to speak with Irma. Oh! If anyone asks, I have not given you any idea.'

Angelo and Cornelia grinned as Will walked further.

'She hasn't changed much huh?' Cornelia asked with a smile.

'Nah, you know her. She goes with the flow.' Angelo replied.

The two walked slowly away, both feeling happier with the plan that was forming. When they were out of sight Edeline and Ilana came from their hiding place behind the pillar. Both looked surprised at each other.

'Wow…She's pretty…humane…' Ilana said softly.

Edeline nodded as she looked at the rubble. She noticed that there was still one statue remaining. She focused and managed to throw a small stone at it. The statue resisted the blow, only an arm fell off.

'I think you should ask her.'

Edeline turned around and saw Ilana looking pensive at the statue.

'Are you serious?' Edeline asked, still not wanting to ask training from Cornelia.

Ilana threw a fairly sized fireball at the statue, destroying it.

'Yes.' she said. 'Natasha, Georgi and I have been talking. It's better if you and Ehren asked for training. You're just slowing us down now.'

Edeline crossed her arms stubbornly and turned her back to Ilana. Ilana couldn't see how Edeline's eyes were watering. The truth was that Edeline wanted to go more than anything in the world to Cornelia to ask for training, but she couldn't. Not only was she a bit scared of what Ehren would say about it, she was also afraid that Cornelia would say no. Or worse.

'I see.' Edeline said.

She wiped her tears away and turned around to give Ilana a fake smile.

'I shall see, okay?' she said. 'Let's see how the others are doing.'

Ilana saw that the smile was fake but smiled back. At least Edeline was going to try. Together they walked to Will's training field, hoping to get some more information on Will's plan.

_A little further away and some minutes ago, on Will's personal training ground:_

Irma was roaring in anger. Several ice statues of Hay-Lin were standing around her while even more splinters of ice were littering the ground. Again she shot a pillar of water from her hands, breaking a lot of statues. It didn't help. She was feeling terrible. She didn't show it but it hurt. The way several rebels looked at her. How her parents and little brother looked at her. They all saw her as she felt. A monster in human skin. Tears ran from her cheeks. It was all her fault. Will had warned her to keep everyone close. It had been her duty, left by Will. But she was the first to reduce contact, thinking everything would stay the same. If she'd been there for Hay-Lin, especially after…

Irma shook her head annoyed. It wasn't just her fault, though she had to admit that she thought that Hay-Lin was stronger…

'Irma?'

Irma stopped in mid attack and looked up. She saw one of the new Guardians, Ehren she assumed, standing a few feet away, quivering a bit. Irma quickly and roughly rubbed her tears away and faked a smile at her. Ehren replied with the same smile, though hers was even quivering.

'What are you doing here, Ehren?' Irma asked, trying to keep her anger hidden.

Ehren gulped as she walked forward. She couldn't believe she let herself get talked over by Cassidy, Georgi and Natasha. The last two would feel her wrath for this. She saw how Irma was looking at her with a surprised look. She had to admit, Irma was no monster. It was more that her past experiences were causing her fear for the woman. Why she'd changed her mind? It was already coming when Irma was scolded by Cornelia for scaring her and Edeline. Irma seemed kinda fun and nice, even though what she said was kinda harsh. Ehren knew herself that she had to be braver. And when she'd seen Irma cry she looked so vulnerable. Ehren had seen how both Georgi and Ilana were when they joined at first and she could see both of them in Irma. She felt bad for her and even guilty that she too, saw her as a monster.

'You…I….' Ehren started.

She quickly looked away and motioned at the ice sculptures

'Pretty cool.' she mumbled.

Irma grinned. Taranee and Angelo were right. She did look like her and Cassidy. Irma silently wondered if that was something that went through the generations of Guardians. The water being the funny, the fire the smart one, the air the most creative, the earth being the most stubborn and the leader…Well, she wasn't sure about the last seeing that she didn't know a thing of Nerissa or Natasha.

'Yeah, it's ice.' Irma replied with a grin.

Ehren snickered a bit and then looked surprised. It seemed as if she hadn't thought she would laugh.

'I'm sorry.'

Irma raised an eyebrow and saw that Ehren looked sadly down.

'Sorry for what?' Irma asked, though already having a faint feeling why.

Ehren turned her gaze to the ground.

'For seeing you as a monster.' she mumbled quickly.

Sadly Irma had heard it. Her smile faltered and she frowned.

'Stop looking like that.'

Ehren looked up, hearing that Irma's voice was filled with anger. She had to force herself to stop herself from crouching and going defensive. She looked in the eyes of Irma and saw an anger swimming in them. Why was she angry at her?

'You're not the only one who sees me for what Hay-Lin created me to be.' Irma said annoyed.

Ehren then understood that Irma wasn't angry at her, but at Hay-Lin. She couldn't blame her. It was Hay-Lin who started this. It was Hay-Lin who robbed her from her happy family.

'My…my family…Hay-Lin killed them…' Ehren suddenly confessed.

She didn't know why, but Irma made her feel strange. As if she was talking to an older sister, or something like that. and she had the urge to tell her certain things. She noticed that Irma's eyes had widened in surprise and she then thought she saw a flicker of guilt? Irma turned her head and looked away.

'I'm sorry.' she said.

Ehren shook her head.

'No! I didn't mean you did it! I hadn't seen you back then!' Ehren defended. 'And I…I don't care any longer…Will said that things happen for a reason and we'll always find a better life after it.'

At this Irma had to laugh.

'She's sounding more like the old bigwig than she knows.' she heard Irma grumble. 'I just wished I was more attentive. Then this could have been stopped and you would have your family.'

Ehren was now completely sure, Irma was no monster.

'You're no monster.'

Irma looked at the little girl who said that. Confusion flushed over her. First she came to tell her she thought she was a monster and now she contradicted herself.

'Excuse me?' Irma said, not sure if she'd heard right.

'I…I don't think you're a monster anymore… You're nice…' Ehren said awkwardly.

A grin spread on Irma's face. Okay, it was nice to hear your family and friends say that they never blamed you but hearing this from a kid that had done nothing else but quiver whenever she was near made her feel even better.

'Thanks kiddo.' she said. 'You're not bad yourself.'

Ehren smiled at Irma and started to fidget again. Irma raised an eyebrow.

'Something wrong?' she asked.

'Well…' Ehren said meaningfully while eyeing the ice statues.

Irma recognized the sound of Ehren's voice and grinned. It was weird to hear herself.

'Could you help me with my training? I want to coat myself in ice like Cassidy, but I can't seem to get my powers under control.' she asked with a big smile.

'You mean this?' Irma said as she coated herself in ice.

Ehren's eyes became bigger when she saw it and nodded eagerly. Irma brushed nonchalantly over her arms.

'This? This is an old trick. I taught it Cassidy.' she bragged.

'Really?' Ehren asked in awe.

'Strange. I really thought that I was the one who gave you the idea of creating ice on your own and coating yourself with it.'

Both Irma and Ehren turned around to see Cassidy standing with her arms crossed but a big smirk on her lips.

'Hey Cass!' Irma said with a smile. 'Sure you gave me the idea, but I did it.'

'Oh so modest.' Cassidy said as she rolled her eyes.

'You know me, I'm modesty itself.' Irma said with a grin.

Cassidy smiled too and nodded at Ehren.

'So…everything clear?'

Ehren saluted.

'Everything is clear, ma'am. Target is nothing more than a big mouse!' Ehren said in a soldier kind of way.

Irma's mouth fell open as she dropped her ice cover.

'Mouse?' she said. 'Mouse? I'm going to show you mouse!'

With that she formed a handful of water and started to splash it in Ehren's face. Ehren shrieked a bit and tried to dodge it but everytime the water hit its mark. Cassidy laughed and Irma and Ehren smiled.

'And who's going to clean this up?'

The three women stopped and looked at Will, who was shaking her head.

'I had just managed to tidy the place and now you two are thrashing it again!' she moaned a bit.

'You're exaggerating.' Irma said. 'You like water, so what's the fuss?'

'The fuss is that I prefer water in a pool and not on the floor.' Will replied.

'So? Wave your hands and it'll disappear!' Cassidy said.

A smile formed on Will's face.

'Ehren, I think Natasha and Georgi are waiting for you.' she said, indicating that Ehren had to leave.

Ehren got the hint and ran as fast as she could away. Cassidy and Irma backed away as they saw Will's smile.

'Uhmm…Whatever you're planning it's her fault!' Irma said as she pointed at Cassidy.

'What? You started!' Cassidy said as she pointed back at Irma. 'I haven't done a thing!'

Will waved her hands and two mops appeared, one in Irma's hands and one in Cassidy's hands.

'Now, let's see how quick you guys are with cleaning.' she said with a smile.

'No fair!' Cassidy moaned. 'I did nothing!'

'But you didn't stop Irma either.' Will countered with a smirk.

'As if you would.' Cassidy muttered. 'Besides, what would stop us from using our magic?'

Will smiled again at them, scaring them a bit.

'You can try it.' she said. 'I just don't recommend it.'

The two looked at each other and then nodded. Irma waved her hands and the water evaporated. A smile crossed her face as she looked at Will.

'All done.' she said.

'Oh really?' Will said as she raised an eyebrow. she then pointed at something behind Irma and Cassidy. 'And what about that?'

Irma and Cassidy turned around and saw a small tidal wave wash over them, wetting the floor again. Will laughed as she saw the two glaring at her.

'Come on you two. Where's your sense of humor?' she teased.

'I think it just flushed away.' Cassidy said as she squeezed some water out of her hair.

The two then started mopping, grudgingly and already planning a revenge. Will smiled as she looked at them work.

'Why are you still here, other than gloating?' Irma said annoyed.

'Well…Next to the fact that you managed to make up with Ehren, congrats on that by the way. I really thought she would be more stubborn. But anyway, there are still a lot of rebels who see you as a monster.' Will said matter-of-factly.

Irma's face fell as she started to move the mop roughly over the floor. Cassidy looked at Will with a look of disbelief.

'Are you just here to crush our spirits?' she asked her.

Will shook her head.

'On the contrary. I'm here to raise them.' she replied.

'You're doing a lousy job at it then.' Irma replied somberly.

'What if I said that I know how to make them at least appreciate you?' Will said with a smile.

Both Cassidy and Irma stopped mopping and looked up. They saw a glimmer in Will's eyes and both knew Will had a plan.

'I'm listening.' Irma said as Cassidy nodded.

'We need a pine cone, Cornelia and your ice sculpture abilities.' Will said with a nod to Irma. 'And maybe the Warriors are willing to help. I need someone to keep Taranee and Caleb in the dark. You can tell Nerissa about this too.'

Both first looked confused at Will, not knowing what she was talking about. Will sighed as she placed a hand on her forehead.

'Jingle bells. Does that ring a bell?' she said.

Both Cassidy and Irma perked and smiled at Will.

'I see what you did there.' Irma said with a smile.

'Maybe some decorations from Earth.' Cassidy said. 'That would increase the feeling.'

'And if we can do some background checks, then my ice sculptures would really brighten up people's day!' Irma said enthusiastically. 'Will, your plan is great!'

Will raised an eyebrow and looked confused.

'Plan?' she said confused. 'I do not know what you're talking about.'

Irma and Cassidy looked confused at Will but then saw a grin form on Will's lips.

'I hope you two finish mopping soon. Maybe you can get some food from the kitchen.' she said before walking away.

Irma and Cassidy looked at Will's retreating back and snickered. Leave it to Will to think of something like that.

_**[A/N] That was the chapter. I was planning on putting Christmas into this one too, but that would make it messy…And it is already a messy chapter. But anyway, next chapter will contain fluff, a set date for the final battle (thank God!) and some Hay-Lin.**_

_**Reviews make me happy. After reviewing, there will be cake!**_


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

_Christmas Eve, Rebel base, Meridian_

'I-I-It's c-c-c-c-col-cold!' Terry said through his clattering teeth.

'I-Is th-thi-this th-the nor-nor-normal welcome's com-committee?' Leonas asked, feeling as cold as Terry.

'N-No!' Angelo answered as he tried to free himself from the block ice he, Leonas, Terry, Sam, Samantha and his fellow warriors were trapped in. 'Cas-Cassidy! Can't yo-you br-break th-the i-i-ice?'

'Too strong.' Cassidy replied as she tried.

'And who dares to sneak into the rebel base?'

Angelo turned to the source of the voice and saw two women walking calmly to them. His mood changed and he felt a happiness wash over him. For a second he thought that he'd fold them to the wrong place.

_A couple of hours before._

The rebels hadn't noticed a thing. Angelo had been preparing things with his fellow Warriors while Irma and Cornelia started teaching Ehren and Edeline. When Edeline found out that Ehren had mustered the courage to ask Irma, she was quick to ask Cornelia. Both girls found out that their predecessors were really nice, but a bitch when it came to training. Things sometimes got hectic when both Irma and Cornelia decided to train Ehren and Edeline at the same moment. Irma could not stop herself from shooting at Cornelia to show what Ehren was supposed to do. These situations often ended in a major mud fight between Irma and Cornelia until both Taranee and Will stopped it permanently by saying that the two had to train separately. Will had taken care of Taranee and Caleb by using Caleb as her personal walking target while Taranee had to run errands to everywhere in the base. The two were wondering why Will suddenly acted like this but she waved it away by saying that it was all to make sure that the war would end, so they trusted her.

Angelo had already given Cornelia the pine cone, which she now kept hidden from Taranee and Caleb. Angelo too had given more information from Earth, telling Will, Caleb and Taranee how the rebels were doing there and giving them a heads up about Malcolm. Malcolm seemed to be all better, but was still easily scared when he saw water dripping. He had decided to train new rebels before going back to the fight.

What Angelo didn't tell Taranee and Caleb was that his family had placed some decorations for their Christmas tree near a church where a family friend of the Vanders was a preacher. In fact, he and the other Warriors had gone to Earth to get them, hoping that Will could hide them so that Irma and Cornelia could finish decorating the tree that they were going to grow over night.

'So your family is really befriended with a preacher?' Cassidy asked curiously as they walked through the town.

They had left around the middle of the day, knowing that it could take a while before they could return.

'Yeah, why? Having early wedding plans?' Angelo said with a grin.

Cassidy and Joel blushed slightly before Cassidy grinned big time at him.

'Maybe, but not now.' Cassidy said. 'It's just good to know that we have a preacher that knows you. Having good connections is important.'

Angelo smiled at her as he opened the doors to the church. He noticed that the church was empty except for one African American man. A pang of anger rushed through him. It was Sunday, the day before Christmas, yet no one was in church. All because Hay-Lin banned Christmas, God or anything else that could give hope. Her only mistake was letting the churches stand. The man looked up and smiled broadly as he recognized Angelo.

'Angelo! It is nice to see you again! You're family had already said you would come.' the preacher said.

'It's nice to see you too, Pastor Jones.' Angelo answered with a smile.

'And who are your friends, which you've brought with you?' Pastor Jones asked gently.

'Name's Cassidy Chacon. Warrior of ice.' Cassidy said with a smile as the preacher took her hand and kissed it gently.

'I'm Joel Wright. Warrior of Energy.' Joel said as he shook the hand of the preacher.

'I'm Andrew Hornby.' Andrew said. 'Warrior of Height'

'And I am Mandy Anderson. Warrior of Protection.' Mandy said.

'You all speak of Warriors. May I know what you mean?' Pastor Jones asked interested.

'We've got magical powers thanks to a magical object from another planet.' Angelo answered. 'I know it sounds weird, but we only use them for good.'

Pastor Jones nodded his head.

'I understand. If God has given you these tools, then use them wisely.'

'That's what we do, sir.' Cassidy said as she held her thumb up.

'Good.' Pastor Jones said. 'Please come with me back. You are the first ones to enter this church today. Besides your family is late with bringing the decorations.'

Angelo sighed as he and the others followed Pastor Jones.

'Why am I not surprised?' he said.

_Back in the Infinite City_

Will had one of those rare moments of peace and was using it to the fullest by meditating in her tent. She was getting better at it, but still thought it was rather boring.

'Uhm…Will?'

Will opened her eyes and saw Nerissa standing at the entrance of her tent. Instead of coming out of her meditative position she just motioned Nerissa to come further. Nerissa entered at sat on her bed.

'Is there a problem?' Will asked calmly.

Nerissa shook her head.

'No! No! Everything's fine.' she said with a fake smile.

Will raised an eyebrow and watched how slowly Nerissa's smile fell.

'Ehren and Irma are training together, same as Cornelia and Edeline. It's remarkable how much those two seem to have accustomed to Irma and Cornelia.' Nerissa said, still evading the topic around her.

'Aha.' Will said, not interrupting Nerissa.

'Ari is discussing with Martin about battle plans and Maqi is training with Caleb.' Nerissa continued. 'Ilana, Natasha and Georgi are getting taught by Alchemy, together with the other kids.'

'I see. And Taranee?' Will said.

'She's with Nigel.' Nerissa replied.

'Thank you for the update, Nerissa.' Will said. 'If that was all…'

Will purposely stopped then, looking meaningfully at Nerissa.

'No…I wanted to talk to you about…Christmas.'

Will nodded and smiled. She knew that Angelo had blabbed to Nerissa and she was glad Nerissa had kept it a secret. She got up from her position and took Nerissa's hand.

'Let's walk. Sitting gives me cramp.' Will said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Both women walked through the base, being greeted by several rebels as they went.

'So…Any problems?' Will asked as she eyed Nerissa carefully.

'Are you sure you don't want to include Caleb in this?' Nerissa asked.

'I'm sure. You weren't there when it happened but you should have seen his face when he celebrated Christmas the first time on Earth. It's only thanks to Elyon that they know about Christmas here on Metamoor.' Will said with a smile. 'And I think he can use the surprise.'

Nerissa nodded as a smile played on her lips.

'I guess you're right.' Nerissa said. 'Do you think Cornelia and Irma will need any help with the presents?'

'Alchemy is already busy with creating them. G.E.N.I.E. is helping as well, all very excited.' Will said. 'But you can help them. I don't think that they would mind an extra hand.'

'Good. Then I guess I know what to do. Tell me Will, you just said that Elyon had introduced Christmas to Metamoor, yet Ilana didn't know of it.' Nerissa said with a raised eyebrow.

'That's because not every place on Metamoor knows about it yet. There are still some places that aren't well connected to Meridian, the capital. Ilana came from one of these villages.' Will said as she nodded.

'That explains it.' Nerissa said with a nod. 'I think some of the girls could need some new clothes.'

Will smiled.

'I've heard that Georgi is talented with the flute. Maybe you can help her. Or maybe you can ask Aketon's help with…'

Will immediately stopped and a big smile graced her lips as she walked away from Nerissa. Nerissa looked quizzically at her until she noticed why Will had stopped. Both Taranee and Caleb were coming their way and Nerissa knew that it was better to stop the current topic.

Taranee and Caleb had found Will talking to Nerissa. They couldn't hear what they were saying but suddenly Will came walking to them, Nerissa close after her. The smile on Will's face wasn't making it any better for them. Everytime Will smiled like that it meant she had a job for them. Caleb literally groaned and Taranee grinned. The only reason Caleb acted as Will's walking target was because of the making out the two always ended up in doing instead of fighting. Next the fact that Will could be pretty scary if she needed to be.

'Taranee! Caleb! You've arrived at the right time.' Will said with her smile.

'Let me guess, you want to train again?' Caleb asked in defeat.

Will kissed his cheek.

'Don't worry, I'll go easy on you.' she said with a smile.

Caleb wrapped an arm around her, kissing her back.

'I hope so, I can't take everything you shoot at me.' he said.

'Maybe we should practice more.' Will said, implying more.

'Maybe we should.' Caleb said with a goofy grin.

A cough interrupted their cozy moment and saw Taranee and Nerissa looking at them.

'Will, do you know where Angelo, Cassidy, Mandy, Andrew or Joel are? I can't find them.' Taranee asked as if nothing had happened.

'Yes, they are doing something for me on another planet.' Will said neutral, making Taranee raise her eyebrow.

'And that is?' Taranee asked.

'Oracle business.' Will replied with a grin. 'But now that I've got you here. Could you go to Martin? He has some crystals which you can place somewhere in the Infinite City, far away from the base.'

'For what?' Taranee asked confused.

'To keep the Lurdens, guards and other unwanted guests away.' Will said simply. 'Now excuse me, I've got to shoot my boyfriend.'

Nerissa laughed as she saw her son's face. As Will and Caleb walked away she yelled after them.

'Be careful with him! I need him as much as you do! And don't do anything I won't do!'

Taranee sighed as she walked away. Nerissa joined her.

'Why is she being so impossible?' Taranee asked.

'Don't worry Taranee. I bet it's just a faze she's going through. Everything will be alright.'

Taranee smiled at Nerissa.

'Hope you're right Rissa.' she said before waving and walking to Martin.

Nerissa smiled.

'I'm right. But now to go to Aketon. He must know how to make a flute.' she muttered to herself before walking off.

_Back on Earth_

The Warriors (mostly Angelo) had told Pastor Jones their story while getting dinner.

'You've been through a lot, haven't you?' Pastor Jones asked after hearing their story.

'Yeah, but nothing we couldn't handle.' Cassidy said with a smile as Joel hugged her.

A sound of an opening door alarmed them and the Warriors hid quickly. Pastor Jones got up and walked out the room into the church. He then returned.

'You can come out. It's save.' he said.

The Warriors came out and walked after him. They saw three African American men standing in the church with two boxes. A green serpentine was hanging out of one of the boxes. They were dressed in black jeans, boots, T-shirts with nights sticks and stun guns strapped to their sides. Two of the males were about Angelo's age while the third was about the age of Chris, Lillian, and G.E.N.I.E. He had brown eyes and had his black hair in short dreadlocks while one of the older men had brown eyes and had their hair cut short. The other had brown hair and his hair in long dreadlocks like Angelo. Angelo recognized the three of them quickly.

'That took you guys long enough!' Angelo said happily as the three men put the boxes down. 'How's it going guys?'

'Nothing much.' the one with dread locks said as he shook Angelo's hand. 'It's just hard to move around while avoiding being spotted.'

'We've missed you cousin.' the one with the crew cut said.

'I missed you too Sam. It's been long since I visited you.' Angelo replied with a smile.

'Yeah, you even missed the wedding.' the one with dreadlocks said with a smile.

Angelo's eyes widened as he looked at the man.

'Sorry, but what? Get out! Who?' he said.

The one with the dreadlocks wrapped his arm around Sam's neck and rubbed him roughly through his hair.

'Sammy-boy here!' he said.

'No way!' Angelo said with a smirk.

'Yep.' Sam said as he managed to get away from the one with the dreadlocks. 'I got hitched!'

'Who's the lucky woman?' Angelo asked.

'Samantha Ann Cook Vanders.' Sam replied with a grin.

'Cook? Is that her maiden name?' Angelo questioned.

'Yeah.' Sam answered. 'Why?'

'Any relation to Lionel Cook?' Cassidy asked, having followed the conversation.

'Ye-Yeah.' Sam said as he raised an eyebrow at Cassidy, Mandy, Andrew and Joel. 'But he along with his family are dead. Who are you anyway and how do you know about my wife's uncle?'

'Guys. This is Cassidy, Joel, Andrew and Mandy.' Angelo said to his three family members. 'They're part of the rebels I'm with.'

'Hi.', Joel, Cassidy, Andrew and Mandy said to the three Vanders males.

'And these three guys are my cousins.', Angelo said. 'Leonas is the one with the dreads, Sam, and the younger one is named Terry.'

'Hello.', the three Vanders men said.

'Um... how come his voice is British.' Mandy asked pointing to Terry.

'Oh, I used to live in Great Britain.' Terry explained. 'My mother and father wanted me to come to the States to get some training from my older cousins.'

'Yeah, he got the training he needed from Marcus and Malcolm.' Sam said. 'Me and Leonas gave him all the training we can give him, too.'

'How's Malcolm doing?' Angelo asked.

'He's been better.' Leonas said. 'He's back in fighting form and all. but he hasn't gone on any missions yet. Leona tells me that he's only been training new recruits. He still has nightmares about what happened to him. And who could blame him. Marcus is handling things well, but...'

'He needs help on the missions.' Angelo said.

'Yeah.' Leonas said. 'So, that's why Sam and his wife are going to go help Marcus run things.'

'What about the rebels here?' Angelo asked.

'Some are going with Sam, while the rest are heading overseas to help the Japan rebels.' Leonas explained.

'And what about you?' Cassidy asked.

'I don't know.' Leonas replied. 'I need to watch over Terry and the rebellion isn't really in need of my expertise…At least not at the moment.'

'Why not come with us? I think we could use you and maybe you could form your own group with the rebels of Earth.' Angelo said with a smile.

'Say what now?' Leonas said. 'It was no joke?'

'You're really based on another planet?' Terry asked excited.

'Yep.' Joel said with a smile.

'And is Will really the true Oracle?' Leonas questioned. 'The same Will Vandom who used to believe that there was a Boogeyman in every closet?'

'The one and only.' Angelo said with a grin.

'The universe is doomed.' Sam said with a smile, making the others laugh with him.

'She isn't that bad.' Angelo said with a smile. 'She just needs to stop pranking…'

'I'll say.' Cassidy muttered.

'So…are those the decorations?' Andrew asked as he nodded at the boxes.

'Oh yeah.' Sam said as he patted the box. 'Everything's here.'

'You guys are the best.' Angelo said with a smile.

'We know.' Sam said as he and Leonas high fived.

Suddenly, an African-American woman with brown eyes and long black hair that went down to the middle of her back came running into the church. She was dressed in the same clothes as Leonas, Sam, and Terry.

'Samantha? Is something wrong?' Sam asked concerned.

'We've got a problem! Hay-Lin has sent some of her flunkies and Olsen is leading them! They're looking for rebels!' Samantha said as she ran up to Sam.

'Matt…' Mandy whispered softly.

'We've got to go Angelo!' Cassidy urged. 'They can't see us here!'

'I know!' Angelo said as he took one of the boxes.

Joel was already holding the other box and the Warriors, together with Samantha, Sam, Leonas and Terry ran to the chamber of Pastor Jones. Pastor Jones remained, keeping the illusion that nothing had happened.

'Where are the rebels who are coming with us?' Sam asked his wife.

'I've sent them out of town to L.A. They'll wait a week before heading to Malcolm and Marcus.' Samantha replied.

Sam nodded in relief and watched how Angelo created a fold. Cassidy, Mandy, Andrew and Joel had already gone through and Angelo looked questioningly at his family. They eyed the fold with some suspicion but when they heard bonking on the church door they threw their suspicions out of the window and headed through the fold. The moment Angelo closed the fold, the door of the church got blasted. A lot of people were standing in the entrance with, in the front, a man with a golden mask, dreadlocks, tail and black angel wings.

'My son, are you coming to pray? Then I'm afraid I've got to ask you to repair my door first.' Pastor Jones said calmly.

'Where are the rebels?' Matt asked in a zombie like voice.

Pastor Jones raised an eyebrow.

'I'm sorry. I would not know where to find them.' he said.

He then noticed that Matt's eyes were glowing green and he quickly ducked away. A green blast missed him by inches and he quickly hid. He couldn't see how a man came to Matt and showed him a crystal ball. Hay-Lin's image appeared in it and looked at Matt.

'Did you find any rebels, my Regent?' Hay-Lin asked.

'No, mistress.' Matt said as he bowed for Hay-Lin's image.

'They must have left before you got there.' Hay Lin figured. 'No matter. The important thing is that they are gone and won't be able to interfere with my drug deals there. Leave the men there and return to me, Regent.'

'Yes, Mistress.' Matt said with another bow.

The man watched as Matt teletransported away. He then looked down at the crystal ball to see Hay Lin looking at him.

'Inform the men that they are to leave the area and go ahead with the drug shipment that is coming.' Hay Lin said. 'Once you have it, bring the shipment by trucks back here.'

'Yes, Ma'am.' the man said before the crystal ball was clear again.

The man then headed back to where his cohorts were to inform them about what they had to do. Back on Metamoor, the Warriors and, those they brought with them, were in the Infinite City getting closer to the rebel camp. They weren't even close when suddenly ice wrapped around them.

_Present_

'And who dares to sneak into the rebel base?'

Angelo looked up and saw Cornelia and Irma nearing them. Once Irma and Cornelia got a good look on them they gasped.

'Angelo! Couldn't you warn Will or something like that? We nearly killed you guys!' Cornelia said as Irma started to defreeze them.

Angelo gulped a bit, being glad that Irma and Cornelia would first ask questions before attacking.

'We had to leave on short notice.' he said. 'Unwanted guests. So where's everyone?'

'Bed.' Irma replied with a grin while walking to Andrew and kissing him. 'You guys took your time. We already finished creating the tree, the snow plain and the presents.'

'Then I say we got here just in time.' Cassidy said with a grin.

'Who are these guys?' Cornelia asked as she pointed at Angelo's family.

'They're my family. The one with the crew cut is Sam and the other is Leonas. The little one is Terry.' Angelo replied with a smile.

'I'm not little!' Terry said before getting hushed by the adults.

'Keep your voice down! People are trying to sleep.' Cornelia scolded the boy.

'And this is my wife.' Sam said. 'Samantha Cook Vanders.'

Irma and Samantha shook hands when Irma's eyes widened after hearing Samantha's maiden name.

'Cook? As in Lionel Cook?' Irma asked.

Samantha raised an eyebrow, just like Sam.

'Yes, he's my uncle.' Samantha replied. 'But how do you know him? He's dead for years.'

Irma and Cornelia smiled at Angelo who placed a finger in front of his smirking lips. They gave him a small nod.

'I heard about him when I was little.' Cornelia said.

'I see.' Samantha said, not really convinced.

'So….Where's the tree anyway?' Joel asked as he shifted the weight of the box. 'This one is getting heavy.'

'It's in the middle of the base.' Cornelia replied. 'Will had Taranee and Caleb create a big space in the middle of the camp.'

'It was quite funny to see. Caleb and Taranee groaning and mumbling while Will was standing there with a big smirk.' Irma said with a grin as she walked in front. 'It took them twenty minutes before they figured out that Will could have easily done that herself.'

'How did that end?' Angelo asked with a grin.

'Let's say that Will is still a very fast runner.' Cornelia replied with a smile.

This made the group laugh when suddenly they heard a tumbling. It was rather dark, because the crystals that gave the Infinite City their light functioned on solar power. Without a sun, they dimmed so it was pretty difficult to see what was on the ground. After the tumbling three shouts of pain were heard. A small light appeared and everyone could see Irma laying on top of Will and Natasha. Will and Natasha were looking rather grumpily while Irma looked surprised.

'Will? Natasha? What are you two doing here?' Irma asked surprised as she got off of them.

'Sleeping.' Will said as she repressed a yawn.

'Why are you two sleeping on the ground, next to the base?' Cassidy asked confused.

'I was doing some late night training when Natasha came.' Will said, again repressing a yawn. 'She said she had a nightmare of some sorts so I helped her. When she fell asleep next to me I decided I could better go to sleep as well…And I was too lazy to move us.'

'So you fell asleep on the floor.' Leonas finished. 'And then to think that you were always blaming me to be the lazy one!'

Will's eyes widened and made light bigger. Now she had a good sight at the group and saw Leonas and Sam standing there with a grin. She hugged both of them.

'Guys! Long time no see!' she said. 'And getting married behind my back!'

Both men looked surprised at her but before any of them could ask Angelo answered.

'Oracle's have the annoying power to read people's minds…And apparently this one still has to learn about privacy.'

'Oh don't be such a moaner.' Will said with a grin. 'I noticed Sam's ring. I haven't read anyone's thoughts for a full week now, so quit complaining.'

Angelo blushed while the others laughed. The laughing quickly stopped and Will turned to the last of the Vanders.

'And you are…?' she asked.

'Terry Vanders.' Terry replied. 'I'm Angelo's nephew.'

Before Will could say anything another voice disturbed the silence.

'Terry?'

Terry looked past Will and noticed Natasha. Natasha's eyes widened as much as Terry's as both kids ran at each other and hugged.

'Natasha! I can't believe it's you! I thought…After your parents death…' Terry said surprised and happy.

'It was terrible!' Natasha said through some tears. 'Will helped me big time! But what about you? The last thing I heard was that your parents crashed with you and Kerry in the car!'

'We managed to get out before it exploded. We then went underground. Kerry is now with my uncles Malcolm and Marcus.' Terry explained, wishing his twin sister was here as well.

'My guesses are that you two know each other.' Will said with a grin.

'Uhuh!' Natasha said with a nod.

'Tasha and I go way back!' Terry said with a grin.

'Tasha? Is this the same Tasha that likes iguanas?' Sam asked.

'Yep.' Terry and Natasha said simultaneously.

'She's got iguanas, you got frogs.' Irma said as she pointed at Will. 'What does Nerissa have? Geckos?'

Will looked blankly at Irma.

'How did you know?' she asked, making Irma look dumbfounded.

'I'm telling you, it's a creepy Keeper thing.' Angelo said with a grin, getting a nudge from Will.

'Keeper?' Terry, Sam, Samantha and Leonas asked.

'We tell you later.' Will said, eyeing Natasha with a warning look. 'It's nicer if we tell you before dinner.'

Natasha seemed to want to tell Terry all about it but decided against it. If she waited she had the other girls to help her fill in and to show off.

'We understand.' Leonas said. 'Now let's get to decorating! At least, if you guys want to catch some sleep.'

Everybody agreed and quickly went to work. Will, Andrew and Mandy did the decoration in the top and middle of the tree while the others finished decorating at the bottom. Irma had made some ice balls that were already hanging in the tree while Cornelia had grown some beautiful white flowers to place in the tree. When it was finished they all looked at their creation, being quite satisfied with it.

'Okay, I think we can get some sleep before everyone awakes.' Will said as she looked at the crystals.

Since no one had the energy left to set up any tents Leonas and Terry would sleep in Angelo's tent while Cassidy happily gave her tent up for Samantha and Sam. She slept in Joel's tent anyway.

The night ended and slowly the rebels were waking up, with the exception from Will, Irma, Cornelia, Terry, Natasha, Leonas, Sam, Samantha and the Warriors. A lot of gasps were heard and cheering followed. The growing noise had wakened Taranee and she slowly got out of her tent, while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stopped rubbing when she noticed the giant tree standing in the middle of the base.

'What the?' she said as she walked slowly to the tree.

The first thing that went through her was a rush of joy. She too had silently been hoping to celebrate Christmas, but she knew that it would not only take a lot of time to prepare it, it would also easily give their position away. So, naturally, the second thing she felt was a rush of fear. Fear for being discovered. The last thing that ran through her was anger. Because she could only think of three people being capable of pulling such a thing of. She heard a roar of anger and saw Caleb walking angrily to one of the tents. Taranee quickly caught up with him.

'Stupid…Can't think…Rash…Disobedient….Bitch… Pain in the neck' she heard Caleb mutter.

Caleb pulled the canvas aside.

'WILL!' he roared in the tent.

Will turned around in her bed, her back facing them.

'One more minute.' she mumbled sleepily.

Caleb rushed to her and pulled the blanket off her. Will shot up and rubbed tiredly her eyes.

'What's wrong Caleb?' she asked with a yawn. 'I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep yesterday.'

'I bet.' Taranee muttered as Caleb breezed angrily.

'You shouldn't have planted that tree!' Caleb said angrily at Will, who opened her eyes innocently.

'I did not plant a tree.' Will stated calmly.

'Cut the crap Will!' Caleb said angrily. 'I know you got Irma and Cornelia into this!'

'And you're going to stop this how?' Will challenged.

'Taranee will burn it.' Caleb stated simply, still angered.

Before Will or Taranee could actually say something against it a lot of noise was heard. The three of them went outside and saw how the rebels were applauding for Irma and Cornelia, who were standing in front of the tree.

'Thank you! Thank you!' Irma said as she bowed a couple of times.

Some of the rebels were looking skeptical at her but Irma's eye fell on Will.

'People, this is all brought to you by the Oracle! Without her we wouldn't even had thought of the idea! She even made sure that we wouldn't be disturbed by one of Hay-Lin's jolly men!' Irma said as she pointed at Will.

Will grinned and pushed Taranee and Caleb forwards.

'Don't thank me, Irma.' she said. 'Taranee and Caleb were the ones who worked so hard. Taranee placed the fake rebel base crystals while Caleb helped with clearing the way for the tree. It was that I found out about their plan that you two could put the tree!'

Taranee and Caleb looked shocked as several rebels went to them. They got hugged, thanked and they shook a lot of hands. Irma and Cornelia used their magic to teletransport the presents under the tree. Will had managed to get away and was silently laughing. She had known that Caleb would be pissed, but now he didn't need to worry and he would relax eventually. He always did.

Taranee and Caleb managed to get away from the rebels, who were now happily singing Christmas carols while Irma and Cornelia started to defend the presents from several grabbing hands. They had noticed that Will had disappeared in the human mass and were now again on a war path. Not only had Will completely disobeyed their order, she had also managed to drag them into it, making it impossible for them to cancel it. And not to mention that she'd made them help with her scheme without them knowing. Though a small part of them was reassured that Will at least had thought of a way to keep them save.

'When I get Will I'll…I'll…' Caleb breezed angrily.

'Taranee?'

Taranee froze and Caleb stopped. He turned around and saw another African American woman walking to them with tears in her eyes. Taranee turned around as well and paled a bit.

'Sa..Samantha?' she said before running at the other woman and hugging her.

'I thought you were dead!' Samantha cried as she hugged her long lost cousin. 'I thought you had died in that fire with uncle Lionel, aunt Theresa and Peter!'

'No…' Taranee said sadly. 'No, but that's a long and sad story.'

'I'm so glad you're alive.' Samantha said as they broke the hug.

Taranee smiled as she noticed a group of three African American men coming to them.

'So you found her, huh?' Angelo said with a smile.

'You brought her here? When?' Taranee asked surprised.

'Last night when we went to pick up the decorations.' Angelo replied with a shrug.

He then noticed Caleb's darkened gaze and smiled.

'Sorry bro, but this is what the rebels needed. It has been too long since we celebrated something like this.' he said apologetically.

Caleb grumbled something but shrugged afterwards. He slipped his hands into his pockets and started to play with a small box which was hidden in them. Taranee shook her head with a sigh but smiled.

'I guess…' Taranee said with a shrug. 'To be honest, I'm kinda glad.'

'Oh yeah! Talking about being happy. Welcome to the family, Taranee!' Angelo said as he gave her a hug.

'Huh?' Taranee asked as she looked confused at Angelo.

Samantha smiled at her.

'I married his cousin.' she said as she showed Taranee the ring.

'No way!' Taranee said as she broke from Angelo's hug and looked at the ring.

'Way!' Samantha replied as she and Taranee started to talk happily about the wedding.

Caleb, Sam, Leonas and Angelo looked at each other before shrugging all together. Caleb nodded at the two other Vanders.

'Caleb.' he said, still a bit pissed.

'Leonas.' Leonas replied.

'Sam.' Sam said.

With that Caleb walked away, leaving the three Vanders alone.

'He's not a talker, is he?' Leonas said as he nodded at Caleb.

'Nah, but now he's just a bit angry at Will.' Angelo said. 'Don't worry, he's really nice.'

'If you say so cousin.' Sam said with a shrug. 'How about we get some breakfast?'

The stomachs of the others started to rumble and they all laughed.

'Couldn't agree more!' Angelo said with a grin.

'I'm following you!' Leonas said.

Everyone in the rebel base was glad. They had never hoped to be celebrating Christmas again and were grateful that they had the chance, even though they'd missed Christmas Eve. They were also grateful towards Irma and Cornelia, appreciating them more than first. The Guardians had explained to Terry about their job and about the stories they'd heard about their predecessors. Most of the kids went to play on the snow field Irma had created, finally acting like kids again. Taranee was sitting with Nigel, both enjoying their day off. Irma and Andrew were having a cozy moment under the Christmas tree while Joel and Cassidy were among those who played on the snow fields. Angelo was busy with his family, while Chris and Lillian were enjoying their time together. Anna Lair and Elizabeth Hale were busy preparing the dinner.

Caleb was sitting in his tent while looking at the tiny box that he had been hiding in his pockets for some days. He opened it, showing a necklace with a beautiful red stone set in a silver frame, making it look as the Heart of Kandrakar. It wasn't a ruby, it was too red for it. Caleb had tried his best to find the stone, for it was a rare stone in Metamoor. It was called Dashuri, which was directly translated into love. He'd hoped to surprise Will with it. He'd even wore a necklace that concealed him from her Sight and also protected him from her mind reading to make sure she would be surprised.

'Knock knock.'

He closed the box and looked up and saw his mother standing in the entrance.

'Hi…mom.' Caleb said before trying to hide the present.

Nerissa had seen him hiding something but said nothing. She went to sit next to him and looked calmly at the opposite side of the tent.

'How are you feeling?'

Caleb sighed a bit.

'I don't know. A part of me is terribly pissed off. She didn't listen to me or Taranee and went with her own plan. Not that that is something new…'

Nerissa laughed softly.

'Sounds like you.'

Caleb raised his eyebrow and looked quizzically at Nerissa.

'Will, Cornelia, Irma, Taranee and Aketon told me about how you were back in their Guardian days.' Nerissa explained, getting a sigh from Caleb. 'Not that I listened to any advice when I was a Guardian. I guess you inherited that aspect from me.'

Caleb grinned a bit before rubbing his hand through his hair.

'What did you get her?'

Caleb looked surprised at his mother. She nodded at his pocket and he slowly got the box out of it.

'How did you know?' Caleb asked.

'I already had a feeling that you were planning on doing something special for her when you asked Tom for his necklace and I've just seen how you tried to hide it.' Nerissa said with a grin.

'Oh.' Caleb said with a goofy grin. 'Sounds logical.'

'So, what is it?'

Caleb opened the small box and showed his mother the necklace. Nerissa gasped a bit as she took the box to take a better look at the necklace.

'Is this real silver?' she asked.

'Yes.' Caleb said. 'The medallion I got from Elyon for my achievements in the war was made of pure silver. I melted it with the help of Aketon.'

'Your own medallion.' Nerissa said softly.

She could easily tell that her son had it bad for Will. The only part that worried her was how Caleb would survive when the war was won and when Will would take her position as Oracle. She shook it off and looked carefully at the crystal. During the time that she posed as the Mage she'd gotten to learn a lot about the Meridian culture and she had read the books about minerals.

'Caleb…This can't be…' she breathed.

'Dashuri.' Caleb replied.

Nerissa looked with a smile at her son. She remembered when Julian had given her a ring. It was also from another rare material. It had been a yellow stone with a red core set in a black ring. Bukuri, if she remembered correctly. A small pang ran through her as she realized that Vertex had destroyed the ring to create a potion. She gave the box back to her son, smiling at his face that showed only nervous features.

'So?' he asked. 'What do you think?'

Nerissa smiled as she walked to him. She kissed him on the head.

'Don't worry. I think she'll love it.' she said before walking away.

Caleb sighed happily before he let himself fall back on his bed.

_Hours later, in Kandrakar_

Hay-Lin sighed from frustration. She had placed Phobos, Elyon and one of the Vertex' in the healing chambers in Kandrakar while the other Vertex was walking with her. She'd been training to make sure that she could control the power she possessed now. She was sure that the final date would come soon and she was not planning on losing. She hadn't bothered to go to her grandmother. The old hag should know she was here and she couldn't care less either.

She noticed the other Vertex stumbled a bit before coming back up. She was battered and bruised but nothing that couldn't heal on itself. An irritated thought came up in Hay-Lin.

'Your name shall be Vexes from now on. It annoys me to have two minions with the same name.' she said coldly, getting only a nod back in reply.

She nodded grimly before taking the Heart of Dreadmore. and slashed with it in the air, making a fold appear. She stepped through it, leaving Kandrakar behind. She would return to Kandrakar tomorrow to collect Phobos, Elyon and Vertex. She needed to control her powers if she wanted to kill Will and the only way was by training.

In her HQ, some of her employees had tried to get some coziness in the otherwise cold and somber house. Two had even managed to find an old radio, which could play CD's, on which they were now playing some old Christmas songs. That was sadly also the only thing they could do to get the house into a Christmas ambiance, but it was something. Not many employees had joined the two men, knowing that if Hay-Lin came back, they would be severely punished. Now only a small group of five men were sitting in a room while humming at the Christmas song: You're all I want for Christmas.

They were enjoying it, despite the danger of being caught. Suddenly the sound of the CD became creepy and scratchy. It even changed to a complete other tune. One of the men walked up and started tapping the machine in the hope of repairing it. Before he touched it the radio exploded. The five men turned around in fear, knowing that only one person could do that. Surely enough, Hay-Lin was standing in the door entrance with one of her monster female witches (Vexes) at her side.

'I. Loathe. Music.' she said coldly as the men bowed in front of her. 'Who is the fool that played this piece of shit?'

Three of the five men crawled back, unbeknownst to the other two, and pointed at them. Hay-Lin waved her hand, blowing the three blabbers into the wall. A snap from her fingers and they were cuffed in what seemed to be wind bindings. Hay-Lin then looked menacingly at the two men in front of her, who were now trembling out of fear.

'I see.' Hay-Lin said. 'Let's put the Christmas spirit into you, shall we?'

The men looked confused at her when one of the men looked shocked at the other. Vexes had lunged her hand into the other's stomach and slowly started to pull out his small intestine out of him. As the man moaned and shrieked out of pain, the other remained motionless. Vexes pulled the small intestine until she was sure that it was all. The man lay dead on the ground while the blood dripped from his stomach and small intestine. The other tried to run but Hay-Lin immobilized him with her magic. She snapped her fingers and the man noticed that she'd changed his clothes into those of Santa Claus. With eyes filled with fear he looked up in Hay-Lin's smiling face.

'Merry Christmas.' she said evilly.

Before the man could say or do anything he felt how the small intestine of the other man got wrapped around his neck. His eyes bulged out from fear as he suddenly was standing on the top of the house, together with his dead friend, Vexes and Hay-Lin. Vexes threw the dead man off the roof on one side of the cross that was standing on the roof and she threw the other, still living man off the other side. The man grabbed to his neck, trying to get the intestine off of him. Trying to stop choking. He fell deeper as more guts were coming out of the dead guy because of the other man being hung on his intestine. When the stomach was almost pulled out of the hole in the dead man's stomach, the guts stopped falling out. The other man slowly choked and Hay-Lin laughed as she saw how the blood of the one man fell on the other.

'Hohoho.' Hay-Lin said coldly. 'Merry, fucking Christmas.'

She and Vexes teletransported away, leaving the two dead men hanging on the roof, the blood slowly seeping on the snowy ground.

_In the Infinite City_

The rebels were happy. They were now sitting on a long table that was set around the big Christmas tree. Everyone had received a small present from Cornelia and Irma, which seemed to be a small, never melting ice statue of their favorite thing with their favorite flower, but they all loved it and finally accepted Cornelia and Irma as one of their own. The dinner consisted out of food from Meridian and Earth and was made by Anna Lair and Elizabeth Hale. After dinner the things got quickly tidied. Afterwards several rebels went back to their tents while others wandered around. Cassidy, Joel, Andrew, Irma, Ehren, Edeline, Natasha, Georgi, Ilana, Angelo, Cornelia, Chris, Lilian, Will, Caleb, Alchemy, Martin, Taranee and Nigel were sitting round the Christmas tree, all on different places.

'I'm glad we got to celebrate this.' Cassidy said as she leaned against Joel.

'I'm glad I got to celebrate this at least one more time with you.' Joel replied as he kissed her.

'It's nice, huh? Having managed to survive this long?' Alchemy asked as she cuddled with Martin.

'Yes, it is.' Martin said as he kissed Alchemy.

'Merry Christmas Taranee.' Nigel said as he kissed Taranee.

'I love you Nigel. And merry Christmas to you too.' Taranee said after the kiss.

'Chris, thanks for being there for me.' Lilian said with a kiss on Chris' cheek.

Chris blushed slightly.

'I just did what I felt was right. And I'm glad it's still going well.' he replied before kissing Lilian on her mouth, surprising her.

Lilian smiled during her kiss, but did not break it.

Angelo and Ehren were sitting together, enjoying their moment together.

'You noticed that I haven't spoken to you for a long time?' Ehren asked Angelo.

'You're talking to me now.' Angelo replied.

Ehren poked him with a grin.

'You know what I mean! We haven't played for a long, long time!'

'You know we're busy.' Angelo said before tickling Ehren a bit. 'And don't blame me! You could have come to me!'

Ehren giggled as she tried to escape Angelo's tickling fingers. Angelo stopped and Ehren let herself fall in his arms, while Angelo hugged her close. Angelo placed his chin on her head and again a silence fell. Ehren noticed that Cornelia was sitting alone, looking a bit sad at the tree and she noticed that Angelo was staring at her.

*Maybe I can help a bit.* Ehren thought. *There is still a bit I need to repair.*

Ehren slowly wriggled herself out of Angelo's grip. Angelo raised an eyebrow as Ehren got up and started to pull him up.

'Ehren, what?' Angelo asked before being cut off by Ehren.

'Just shush and let me do my thing, okay?' she said as she pulled him with her.

Angelo smiled as he let himself being pulled. He then noticed that Ehren was pulling him towards Cornelia and a small pang of nervousness went through him. Cornelia looked surprised up and saw how Ehren looked at the ground while pushing Angelo towards her.

'It's better if you two sat with each other.' she mumbled. 'It's cold and you could use the warmth. I'm going to the other girls.'

With that she walked off, leaving Angelo standing in front of Cornelia, both looking surprised at Ehren's retreating back. They then looked awkwardly at each other.

'Uhm, hey.' Angelo said awkwardly.

Cornelia smiled at him and moved a bit aside. She then patted on the ground next to her.

'Come on. You don't have to stand.' she said.

Angelo accepted the invitation and sat down next to Cornelia.

'Ehren is a strange kid, isn't she?' Cornelia said softly, repressing a yawn.

'Mah. She reminds me of Irma.' Angelo said with a grin.

'Yeah, we've got three jokers walking around. I don't know how you survive.' Cornelia said softly.

'I've seen worse.' Angelo said, getting a small laugh from Cornelia.

Both remained silent as they looked at several couples under the tree. Angelo couldn't stop himself and decided that this might be the best time.

'Cornelia?'

A small grumble was heard and he looked aside him. He saw that Cornelia had fallen asleep and was swaying a bit. He took her shoulders and placed her against his chest, putting an arm around her.

'Merry Christmas.' He mumbled softly in her ear before placing his chin on top of her head and falling asleep as well.

At the same time Edeline and Andrew were talking happily. Both had grown close ever since the Warriors returned and Andrew felt a bit bad because he'd been neglecting Edeline ever since Irma had returned. Edeline was happy with the attention but she was starting to feel bad as well. Her gaze shifted often to Irma, who was sitting all alone under the tree. She stopped Andrew's rambling and slowly led him to Irma, the same way as Ehren had done with Angelo.

'Hey you two. What's up?' Irma said with a smile.

'Hello.' Edeline said with a small voice. 'I thought you were alone… So…Here's Andrew! I'm going to the others!'

With that she ran off, leaving Irma and Andrew with a surprised look on their faces.

'Since when is she in the boyfriend delivering service?' Irma asked with a grin as Andrew sat himself next to her.

'I don't know.' Andrew said. 'But please, don't tell me that you used your mind control to make her do that.'

Irma looked a bit hurt at Andrew before looking sadly at the ground.

'If it's up to me then I won't be using that for a long, long time.' she said softly.

Andrew noticed he said something wrong and gently took Irma's chin.

'Irma, I didn't mean to hurt you. It is just something I thought you would do.' he said gently.

'I know.' Irma replied. 'I'm bad.'

'Not that bad.' Andrew said with a grin.

Irma raised an eyebrow and looked at Andrew.

'Are you saying there is someone better than me?' she asked, making Andrew grin even more.

'Let me see…' Andrew said as he placed his finger on his chin, thinking hard.

'Why you!' Irma said as she tackled him to the ground, laughing as she went.

Andrew laughed as well and both wrestled a bit before coming to a standstill. Andrew lay on the ground while Irma lay on top of him, their faces inches away.

'There might be someone better than you.' Andrew said. 'But I wouldn't want it any other way.'

'Oh Andrew!' Irma said before the two kissed each other with passion.

When the need for air came, both separated and Irma laid her head on Andrew's chest.

'Merry Christmas Andrew.' she said with a smile.

'Merry Christmas Irma.' Andrew replied.

Will and Caleb had been watching how several couples were enjoying themselves. A soft tune floated through the air and both looked to see Georgi playing on a flute she'd gotten from Nerissa. The other Guardians were sitting at her feet, all leaning against each other.

'If you see this you wouldn't think that there is a war going on.' Caleb said softly.

'Yeah, though it feels a bit bad that we are enjoying ourselves while so many others are suffering.' Will said with a sigh.

'It was your idea, remember?' Caleb said with a small grin as Will shifted next to him.

'I know. I just wanted to see some people happy…I know it's rather selfish.' Will replied sadly.

Caleb kissed her on her head, making her look up at him. His green eyes twinkled with joy while her own murky brown eyes seemed so dark.

'Don't be like that.' he said. 'You're more beautiful when you smile.'

'How can I smile, Caleb?' Will asked him sadly. 'I think I forgot how to do it after realizing how many problems there are.'

'You can't help everyone, Will.' Caleb said softly. 'You know that. You can't feel bad about it. It helps people appreciate the good things in life.'

Will sighed a bit, knowing Caleb was right. A part of her told her she was being stupid, but she still felt a bit sad. Caleb gently tilted her head upwards, making her look in his mossy green eyes. His brown hair had grown a bit longer and was now laying on his head in a chaotic manner. His lips had parted in a smile and somewhere she felt a bit better. She couldn't help everyone, but as long as she could help some she was happy. She felt how a smile grew on her face and blushed slightly.

'I see you found your smile again.' Caleb said softly as both closed in on each other.

'Thank you.' Will said before kissing each other.

Both enjoyed the kiss and weren't too happy with stopping it, but the need of air came and they broke apart, still grinning at each other.

'And to think we fought a lot.' Will said with a grin.

'I still remember the time that you kicked me between my legs. You have no idea how much that hurt.' Caleb said.

'Oh, poor rebel boy.' Will said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Caleb grinned and slowly went with his hand to his pocket.

'Will, I…want to give you something.' Caleb said softly.

Will's eyes widened in surprise, before smiling a bit.

'Is that why you're wearing that annoying necklace?' she asked him as she played with the necklace around his neck.

'Maybe.' Caleb replied before taking the box from his pocket.

Will's eyes widened as sh inspected the ordinary brown box. It didn't seem much but then again, who was she to judge? She accepted the small box and opened it slowly. Caleb smiled when he heard the gasp and he saw how Will gently took the necklace out of the box.

'Caleb…It's beautiful.' she said in awe. 'How did you….When?'

'You are not the only one who can keep secrets.' Caleb said with a smile as he gently took the necklace out of the box.

Will hung her head so that he could tie it around her neck. When he was done she looked at the necklace. Caleb grinned as he could easily see the old Will. Will had always had a habit to look at the Heart of Kandrakar when she felt a bit nervous and right now, she was doing it again. He slowly took one of her hands and Will's chocolate brown eyes shot up to his. He could see that she was holding back any tears that might slip and again he marveled at her strength of spirit. It had always been one of her best features, though he wished she would cry some more, only so he could be there to comfort her. Her lips parted, as if she was trying to say something but Caleb placed gently a finger on them. She looked quizzically at him as he smiled his trademark goofy grin.

'Now, you are perfect.' he said before pulling her closer and kissing her.

Will didn't break the kiss and both enjoyed their time together, wishing that there was no war outside the walls.

_Two hours later_

Will woke up. She noticed that she was laying in her bed and she saw that Caleb was sitting next to her, with the chair turned backwards. He was sleeping on the back of the chair and Will smiled. He must have brought her here when she'd fallen asleep. She softly got up and felt how Caleb's gift was rocking against her breast. She took it off and placed it on her nightstand. She then waved her hand and used her magic to place Caleb in her bed. She pulled the blanket over him.

'I'll come back.' she whispered.

With that she walked away. Minutes later Caleb shot up, looking frantically around. He noticed that he was laying in Will's bed, while Will was nowhere to be seen. A rush of panic caught him before Will's voice rang softly through his head.

'I'll be back.'

Caleb calmed down and laid back in bed. He noticed that the necklace lay in the nightstand and again had to chuckle. Will still seemed to have some traits from the past. Sleep quickly took him away, feeling a bit better knowing that Will would be okay.

Will walked through Kandrakar. She looked sadly at the bloodstained halls. The glory of the mighty fortress had seemed to have disappeared. She quickly arrived at the Room of Congregation. She masked herself for Blunk, restraining herself from freeing the poor creature. As she walked through the doors she let the spell fall. In the middle of the room, drinking a cup of tea, was Yan-Lin. She looked up and saw Will. A false grin spread on her face.

'Wilhelmina, what a pleasant surprise.' she said with mocking hospitality. 'Please, join me.'

Will slowly walked to Yan-Lin, wearing the same false grin on her face as Yan-Lin.

'How nice of you Yan-Lin.' she said as a cup for her filled with tea appeared. 'And also, Merry Christmas.'

Yan-Lin growled a bit before returning to her fake smile.

'Tell me, to what do I owe this pleasure? I don't think you came here for a simple talk.'

Will raised an eyebrow and looked around the room.

'I'm surprised that you haven't called Hay-Lin already.' she replied, ignoring the question.

'I don't think that my hot-headed granddaughter should be here, at least, I don't think you are planning on a sneak attack, are you?'

Will bowed her head. 'You're right. That would be rather cowardly.' she said.

A new silence reigned the room as both women sipped their tea.

'What happened Yan-Lin?' Will suddenly said. 'It used to be so nice. Talks about boys, clothing and college. Where did it all go?'

'You know, as well as I do, that people change.' Yan-Lin replied. 'That's the way of life.'

'True. Though it never explained why you did it. Why take her?' Will said, eyeing Yan-Lin calmly.

Yan-Lin didn't seem surprised and kept her smile on her face as she bowed her head.

'I knew you knew.' she said. 'I needed someone and she fitted the bill perfectly. As you know, the sacrifice is never knowing.'

Will sighed sadly. Yan-Lin looked curiously at the young woman. It's true that Hay-Lin fitted the bill, but only because Will was too strong. If it had gone her way, Will would've been the one controlling Earth, Meridian, Zamballa and Dreadmore, not her granddaughter.

'What do you like, Yan-Lin?' Will suddenly asked.

Yan-Lin raised an eyebrow, not knowing where Will was going.

'That's not really something of your concern.' she said a bit cold.

Will didn't seem to be fazed by the slight change in attitude. She placed her empty cup on the ground and looked with a true smile at Yan-Lin.

'I always liked the month February.' she said. 'It's the only month with 28 days. And next year it will have one more. It's truly fascinating how we manipulate our calendar to fit the rotation of the Earth. How we manipulate ourselves.'

With that Will went to the entrance of the room. She turned around to Yan-Lin and gave her a small wave.

'I guess I'll be going.' she said. 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Oracle.'

The doors slowly closed but Yan-Lin could see Will's retreating form. The old woman growled slightly. She hadn't missed the sarcasm in the younger woman's voice. A smile formed on her lips. The date was set, the peons were at their places.

'Till next time, child.' she said.

_**[A/N] End of chapter 23! Hope you all loved the fluff. Again a little mystery but I promise you all, explanation will come…Just not now :P And yeah…Hay-Lin…brrr…The girls is cold! I got the idea during biology when we were talking about the length of the small intestine…I don't get why you people call it small! Here we call in the "thin" intestine… Anyway, review! Oh, BTW. The cake was a lie.**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Days had passed quickly. On Hay-Lin's side things looked glum. Once her grandmother had contacted her she started to assemble her armies. Her army of Zamballa was standing ready in front of the temple, her army of Dreadmore was completely prepared and waiting for a fold in the troll camp and all her troops from Meridian had come to Earth. She had been training to control the two Hearts that were in her possession. Even though this went fairly well, she kept having those dreams about darkness. They always started with her fighting Irma, Cornelia and Taranee, sometimes being replaced by Angelo, Cassidy and Caleb, and they always ended with Will's appearance and a plunge into darkness. Feeling powerless, weak, vulnerable.

'Aaah!'

Hay-Lin shot up, panting yet again as she looked through her room. Everything was still the same. She was still laying safely in her four poster bed and Vertex and Vexes were still standing guard at her door. She let herself fall back in her bed and wiped the cold sweat from her eyebrows.

'Again.' she said.

She was shocked that her voice sounded so scared. She was trembling and again got up. She walked from her room to her balcony. She needed to get a grip on herself. The last battle would commence in three days. She was ready. She didn't need to be scared. Especially not for her. The wind blew softly past her face and a smile crossed her face. It was cold, snow was still gracing Heatherfield with a blanket, yet she smiled. Will couldn't stop her, her old friends couldn't stop her. They would all pay once she'd killed Will. Her grandmother just needed to keep Will preoccupied and everything would end well.

A small snicker escaped her as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to listen to the noise from the city. A gunshot, shouting and police sirens were heard, yet she ignored them all. How foolish Will was. The only trump card she had and she wasted it. She could've launched a sneak attack on Kandrakar. Her grandmother wouldn't be able to fight back Will AND the rebellion. But no, Will chose to be stupid and tell her grandmother when she would attack.

'Her loss.' Hay-Lin said softly as her black cat jumped on the balcony.

She noticed her cat had managed to catch a black sparrow and was meowing with the bird still in its mouth. Hay-Lin scratched her cat behind the ears and smiled. Yes, this must be a sign. Finally she would win, for she was after all the predator in this game. She turned around, walking slowly back to her bed, thinking she would sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.

The rebel forces had started to gather as well. Tomorrow the attack would start. They hoped that Hay-Lin didn't know they would attack, but they all had the faint feeling that Will had announced them. Slowly but surely all troops from Earth, Minus, Dreadmore and some people from Basiliade entered the folds to the Infinite City, where they were welcomed by Taranee, Caleb and Will. Some of the rebels, mostly Angelo's family, reacted scared at the sight of Irma and Cornelia, though Angelo had made it clear it was save. Cornelia and Irma acted as natural as possible and were smart enough to avoid the bigger rebel masses. They mostly spent their time with their families, or in Irma's case Andrew, knowing this might be the last time they would see each other. The leaders of all the rebellion groups had assembled in Will's tent and were making some last arrangements for the plans. Will was walking through the base, seeing how most people prepared themselves for what they thought would be the end. It was winning or dying, there was no losing in this story. She knew that they all were thinking it.

"Where they really ready?" "Would they survive?" "Could they be with their loved ones once again?" "Who would die?"

The longer she listened to these thoughts, the more depressed she started to feel. She'd seen many battles and participated in many wars, but she had always been lucky that she couldn't hear the thoughts from those around her. Her own were terrible enough. She too was thinking, hoping, praying that she was good enough. Praying that she wasn't sending people into death. She couldn't save everyone. It was a fact she told Caleb long ago. Back then, she was just a girl from Earth who never had even fought with another human being, let alone a war. But when she saw how Caleb tried to sacrifice himself for people who were already lost, she told him that fact. Not all lives are meant to be saved. He couldn't save everyone. And it was Caleb who reminded her of that fact not too long ago. She wished she could save them. She wished that she just could have gone to Yan-Lin and assassinate her, but that would make her probably even worse than Yan-Lin and Hay-Lin put together. Being on the so-called "good" side meant that you had to follow certain rules and she herself knew that she wouldn't break those rules. How much she wanted to do just that, she couldn't. Maybe it was something built-in, or just a cruel joke of the universe. All she knew was that she would never break those rules.

Taranee had known she'd talked to Yan-Lin and knew why Will had told Yan-Lin the attack date. It would be better to see the complete army of their enemy then being surprised during the attack and luckily Taranee agreed on it.

'Oracle?'

Will shocked up from her thoughts, not knowing that she'd been staring lifelessly at a pillar for at least ten minutes. She turned to the source of the voice and a pleasant smile graced her face. Orube was bowing in front of her, waiting for Will to speak.

'Orube, what a pleasant surprise.' Will said, gesturing for Orube to stand straight.

Orube did as she was told and stood up straight. Will smiled at Orube's antics, as the woman didn't approach her. She spread her arms with a warm smile.

'Is that the way to greet old friends?' she asked.

Orube didn't accept Will's invitation for the hug and bowed her head slightly.

'This is the appropriate way to greet an Oracle.' Orube said with a small smile.

Will raised an eyebrow and pulled Orube in a hug.

'Don't care if it is. I still can demand a hug, for crying out loud.' Will said to her, making Orube laugh.

'You never change, do you?' Orube asked as they broke apart.

Will shook her head grimly.

'No…I think I've changed too much.' she said softly. 'I just don't show it.'

Orube must have seen that Will's mood was going down as she decided to change the subject.

'The troops are ready.' she said. 'Everyone is ready for the last battle.'

Will nodded slowly.

'I see. And you?'

'I'm doing well. I will help you in this.' Orube said firmly.

Will smiled grimly.

'I knew you would.' she said. 'Are the weapons ready?'

Orube nodded.

'All weapons have been re-forged and are ready to use. I've taught the Basilidians about the guns and grenades you Earthlings seem so fond of. They are now completely capable of using them and they know that they should dodge the bullets.'

'Good. So we won't have another accident as in L.A.?' Will asked, though more to tease Orube than actually inquiring for information.

Orube's cheeks became red as she glared at Will.

'That's not fair.' she hissed. 'How could I have known about those things? You could have bothered to tell me.'

Will shrugged.

'The only thing you did for the first three months on Earth was watching television. Irma was afraid you were expecting a background tune if you walked down a street.'

Orube pouted a bit before glaring a bit more at Will.

'So I assumed you knew what guns were, seeing how fond you were of the crime scene series.' Will concluded.

'You told me that everything was fake.' Orube countered.

'I told you most of it was fake.' Will replied. 'But anyhow. How are the troops doing?'

'They are restless mostly.' Orube said, her face showing concern. 'They've been waiting so long for this. Do you think we're ready?'

Will smiled sadly at Orube.

'I don't know. I've already figured out that looking into the future is impossible. It has more than a thousand different outcomes. And how things are looking at the moment…The only thing I'm sure of is that I need to defeat Yan-Lin quickly, or we're going to have a lot of losses on our side…'

Will walked away, leaving Orube looking sadly at Will. Will was right. She had changed. A lot. Yet she could only think of everyone around her. She wasn't concerned that her own life could end, as long as everyone else would survive. She clenched her fists. It was Will who had shown her the true way of a warrior, with just being herself. Now it was time to repay that debt. She swore that she would fight and would win. Even if it meant her own death. She walked away to her tent, hoping to meditate a bit before going to sleep.

The night slowly fell over Meridian and the restlessness of the rebels increased. The couples and families stayed together, afraid they would lose each other before the fight had started.

Angelo was checking the weapons. Tomorrow was the day and he wanted to avoid any problems. The day that would end it all. He silently cursed that this ever happened. If it only had gone differently… He shook his head as he placed the sword back. He should probably go to bed, it was late and he was going to be needed tomorrow. He turned around and was slowly walking away.

'Going already?'

Angelo looked startled around and saw Cornelia standing in the weaponry.

'Yeah.' he replied. 'Tomorrow will be a rough day.'

Cornelia nodded slightly as she walked to him.

'Why aren't you with your parents and Lilian?' he asked.

'My parents are sleeping and Lilian is with Chris and Napoleon.' Cornelia answered. 'I couldn't sleep and I felt that someone was here.'

'So you decided to take a look?' Angelo said with a grin.

'Yeah…' Cornelia said with a small smile as the two of them walked out of the weaponry.

'Have you ever thought about what will happen after this?' Angelo asked Cornelia after a short silence.

'No.' she said a little sad. 'I think I'll ask Will if I can stay in Kandrakar. I don't think they want to see my face on Earth…or Meridian…or Arkhanta…or Zamballa.' Cornelia said.

'Maybe Will can help you.' Angelo said reassuringly.

'Maybe.' Cornelia said with a sad smile. 'And what will you do after the battle?'

Angelo shrugged.

'I don't know.' he said. 'I think I'll rebuilt my house and reopen the dojo. Maybe marrying.'

He blushed a bit but it went unnoticed by Cornelia who was looking a little sadly at the ground after hearing the "marrying" part.

'Yeah, you shouldn't have a problem with finding a woman.' she joked a bit, though her sad tone was evident. 'Lots of women are smitten with you. Kelly, for example. She has an enormous crush on you and she's a wonderful listener.'

Angelo looked curiously at Cornelia, feeling that it was finally the moment to see if the rumors were true.

'But I don't love Kelly.' he replied softly.

Cornelia nodded understandingly and kept on walking.

'Or Jana, she too is smitten with you and she's a wonderful cook.' she continued.

'Yes, Jana is a great cook.' Angelo admitted.

Cornelia started to walk faster, repressing the tears that were in her eyes. It was foolish of her to think that Angelo actually had some feelings for her. After all, she destroyed more lives than all the villains she had fought put together. She then felt how Angelo's strong hand clasped around her wrist. She repressed her reflex of blasting him with telekinesis and looked at him, still repressing her tears. She saw that he was smiling gently at her, making her melt inside.

'But you know. The thing is, I've already found someone.' he said, making Cornelia feel torn apart between terribly sad and hopeful. 'But I don't know if she feels the same for me.'

Cornelia swallowed and looked at Angelo. Was…Was he…Was he really implementing what she thought he was? She decided to probe a bit longer before giving in to her hopes.

'That depends.' she said. 'How is she?'

Angelo smiled and chuckled a bit before gazing again in those ice blue eyes. He could see her hope and he was more than glad to make her feel special.

'She's a bit of a hardhead.' he started. 'She never lets you finish your sentences and always knows how to show others how good she is. Sometimes she even seems terribly spoiled.'

Cornelia was looking down again with a gloomy expression. Angelo grabbed her chin lightly and pulled it up gently, forcing her to keep looking at him.

'But she has a big heart which is also at the right place.' he continued. 'She protects her friends and family with everything she has. That plus the fact that her long, blonde, shimmering hair is always swaying behind like that of a goddess, makes me thank the Lord for such an angel on Earth.'

Cornelia's eyes started to wet as she kissed him on the lips. Angelo, already expecting that it would happen, was gladly returning the kiss. When they broke apart for the much needed air Cornelia smiled at him.

'I think she feels the same.' she said.

'Good.' Angelo replied and again the pair kissed.

Tomorrow might be their last day, but both were glad that they confessed to each other. They didn't dare to think what would happen if one of them died tomorrow and they didn't want to either. Cause now they were happy and that was all they could ask for.

Elsewhere in the base, Irma was praying. Her parents were asleep and she'd made sure that Chris and Lilian slept as well. She had seen their happy smiles and just wished that it hadn't ended like this. How many times hadn't she wished that she had paid more attention to Hay-Lin. That she had dragged Will's ass back from Britain. But that was all just simple wishing. She knew it wouldn't work because it had already happened. The only thing she could do now was pray that everything would go well and kicking Hay-Lin's evil butt into infinity itself.

'Dear Lord. I know I've done a lot wrong. Even though I was under Hay-Lin's control that doesn't justify the things I've done. I'm ready to repent for my sins.' Irma prayed silently. 'But please watch over us tomorrow. That's all I ask.'

She kept her eyes closed as she focused on her prayer. She didn't notice that Andrew had entered her tent. He'd been watching her pray and felt his heart grow heavy as he saw the tears that stained her face. He knew why Irma was crying. She was still blaming herself for the war. She, together with Taranee, Cornelia and Will. All four of them had been blaming themselves for the war, while none of them gave an explicit reason why. He always thought it had something to do with the bond the five of them shared but everytime he saw her cry, his heart broke a bit. The Irma Lair he knew didn't cry. At least not because of this.

He slowly walked to her and sat down on his knees next to her. He could almost feel the anxiety radiating from Irma and he slowly reached out for her hands, who were still clasped together. He placed one hand around them and Irma's eyes shot open. She looked startled at him but he placed his other finger against her lips.

'Shh.' he said. 'Let's finish what you started.'

Irma smiled a bit and closed her eyes. Andrew closed his eyes as well, aiding Irma in her prayer. Once Irma was done she started to lean into Andrew. None of them said a word as they slowly but surely fell asleep, still sitting on their knees in front of Irma's bed.

…

'Are you scared?'

Taranee turned around to see Nigel walking to her. She closed her book and looked at him.

'Scared? No.' she said. 'Worried? Yes.'

Nigel wrapped an arm around her before kissing her gently on the lips.

'Why?' he asked.

'I don't know.' Taranee said. 'It's just the feeling I always have before a battle. And this time I have to fight a former friend.'

A tear rolled down her cheek. How could she have been so blind not to notice Hay-Lin's pain? She really deserved to wear glasses, only just to mark how blind she really was….or is.

'Don't blame yourself.'

Taranee smiled a bit. Nigel might not be a telepath like her, but he always knew what she was thinking. That was maybe one of the best things about him. She didn't need to speak, he already knew. She placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes, finding comfort and rest in his presence. Tomorrow was a complete mystery, but this night was a gift.

…

'Everything okay?'

Will opened her eyes and saw a concerned looking Caleb watching her. She gave him a small smile as he entered her tent.

'I have to be.' Will replied. 'If not, who else would beat Yan-Lin?'

'You know you don't have to act brave.' Caleb said as he sat next to her.

Will nodded but evaded his eyes.

'I know.'

A silence reigned between them as neither of them looked at each other. The same thought went through their heads. "No matter what the outcome might be tomorrow, it ends tonight."

Both looked at each other at the same moment and opened their mouths.

'Will I…'

'Caleb I…'

Both stopped and grinned at each other.

'You can go first.' Caleb said. 'You probably already know what I was going to say.'

'I've stopped reading people's minds.' Will said with a grin. 'But you may go first, I'll wait.'

Caleb shook his head.

'Ladies first.'

Will rolled her eyes.

'Well, seeing how civilized you are, I will.'

She looked him in the eyes and held her hands in her lap. She had known this moment would come, though she had hoped it wouldn't.

'Caleb…If we should win tomorrow…I am obliged to stay in Kandrakar.' Will started, seeing how Caleb saddened. 'And…I do not want to keep you there.'

Caleb turned his head away from her and Will grabbed his hands, hoping that she hadn't insulted him. She just didn't want to see him throw his life away. There were lots of other women and he shouldn't lose his chance on having a family.

'It's not that I wouldn't love it to have you there.' she said, feeling how tears formed in her eyes. She swallowed and pushed the tears back. Now was not the time to cry.

'But, my job…My "destiny" will keep me busy most of the eons. And you'll just wander around in Kandrakar, having nothing to do.' she said. 'I don't want you to give up your life. Not for me.'

Caleb looked Will fiercely in her eyes. For a moment, Will felt a tingle of fear. He looked almost mad with her.

'You always make decisions for someone else, Will.' Caleb accused her. 'You don't take those person's feelings in consideration.'

'Caleb, I…' Will interrupted but Caleb stopped her.

'No, just listen.' he said.

His posture fell and he looked with sadness at her.

'I knew you would say this. And I've been thinking about it as well.' Caleb said. 'But first, answer me. What are you planning to do with the Guardians? I don't think you want to keep them in Kandrakar, right?'

Will looked slightly confused at him before shaking her head.

'No, I want them to have a family again. I'm sure you already noticed that some of the Guardians have grown close to certain rebels. I want them to make the choice with whom they want to live…And of course only if those agree on having teenagers in their household.' she said.

Caleb nodded.

'I thought so. Then let's make a deal, okay?'

Will raised an eyebrow, being tempted to read Caleb's mind. She decided against it and kept listening to him.

'I'm listening.'

'If one of the Guardians want to live with me, I'll go to Earth with this Guardian. If my mother wants me with her, I'll stay with her. Metamoor or Earth, that'll be her choice. But if no one needs me, then I'll stay in Kandrakar. How does that sound?'

Will looked pensively at him. It did sound like a good idea and at least she could hope that either one of the Guardians or Nerissa would need him. A small part of her wished that she could keep him with her, but she knew it was impossible.

'Alright.' she relented. 'I agree.'

Caleb smiled sadly at her. He got up and walked to the entrance of her tent.

'It's better if I go. It would only complicate things.' Caleb said sadly.

Will nodded but before Caleb was fully out of hearing ranch he could hear her say the words that had been spooking his mind.

'I love you Caleb. I always will.'

Caleb didn't turn around. He knew if he would that he would break down. He walked further, biting his tongue and clenching his fists. Was he really meant to stay alone?

A sole tear ran over Will's cheek as she again closed her eyes. She'd always known that her life wasn't easy, but now it even looked worse. She would be alone. Again. Was her destiny to be alone forever? She could feel her heart weakening and she wondered how Himerish could have survived being the Oracle for so long. He must have become the Oracle around her age, maybe a bit older. How did he manage? He had no life experience, yet he managed to stay sane for so long. One thing she was sure of. Her soul would die if she stayed Oracle for too long.

_The next day_

Hay-Lin was standing in Kandrakar, in the Council Room. Her grandmother was standing right next to her while her army from every world she possessed stood behind her. She was waiting patiently for Will. Today she would end the last threat. The last memory of her past and the one who ruined her life. Her grandmother was sipping some tea, something Hay-Lin highly disapproved off. How could her grandmother be so calm while Will was coming?

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps. The doors opened and in the door opening was standing…

'Will?'

Will smiled grimly at her as she walked to the middle of the room, on the opposite side of Yan-Lin. Yan-Lin sipped some more tea while Hay-Lin was enraged. She had counted on the whole rebellion, not just Will.

'Oh my. All this just to receive me?' Will asked, sounding surprised.

Hay-Lin stared at Will, still blazing with anger when suddenly a smile formed on her lips. The smile broadened and Hay-Lin started snickering. That snickering turned into maniacal laughing. Will only smiled with Hay-Lin while most of Hay-Lin's army cowered, scared of Hay-Lin.

'Are you really that arrogant?' Hay-Lin said as she stopped laughing. 'Do you really think you can defeat me and my grandmother on your own?'

'To be very honest with you, I thought I would only see the Oracle.' Will said, sounding honest.

Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow but she didn't feel anything weird in the air. Will wasn't lying.

'That's a new one. Since when did you stop thinking about every possibility?' Hay-Lin said, squinting her eyes.

Will grinned and held her hands up.

'You know, I do intend to only fight the Oracle.' she said. 'And I believe you've got another appointment.'

Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow before laughing loudly.

'I have?' she said with a wicked smile. 'What? Are your little rebel friends trying to destroy my bases? Trying to diminish my power? Then they won't find anything! All that I need to keep my power is right here!'

She showed Will the Heart of Dreadmore. Will however, kept smiling.

'I see.' Will said. 'But you know, while we were having this chitchat, something escaped your and the Oracle's all seeing eye.'

Hay-Lin again raised an eyebrow and laughed maniacally again. There was no way she missed something. No one could sneak up on her, the air would tell her. And her grandmother's Sight would warn her.

'You really are full of air, aren't you?' Hay-Lin said. 'There is NOTHING that escapes my eye.'

Will kept grinning while Yan-Lin started to look around her, feeling that Will's plan was working…whatever this plan might be.

'What are those small pillars around the fortress?' Yan-Lin asked, making Hay-Lin look surprised from her grandmother to Will.

Will smiled even more.

'It seems everything is ready.' Will said. 'Georgi, if you please.'

Hay-Lin's eyes widened as in front of her an Asian girl appeared. The girl was quivering in front of her but she held a look of determination. The two things Hay-Lin annoyed the most was that the girl was in a Guardian outfit and that the girl seemed to have a similar look to hers and Will's. She looked once more at Will, who finger waved at her, before she felt how a certain magic took hold of her. The last things she saw was Will's smile and her grandmother's surprised look.

_**[A/N] The fight finally begins! While some couples have found each other, others broke apart. How will this end? And what did the rebellion plan? All these questions will be answered, later.**_

_**To be honest, I am not really a fan of this chapter…Not really well written…but I can't find anything else! And of course the break up… I know someone is gunning for my ass right now. ;P**_

_**But I promise, the fight will be cool…**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**[A/N] Okay, forgot to mention. Bad me! But some things from the previous chapter were completely inspired by NotQuiteNorm's story line. She's busy rewriting the complete W.I.T.C.H. seasons, only completely WxC (Yay!) And she and I often talk somewhat on msn, trading ideas etc. But those who are fervent WxC fans or those who like to see more…"W.I.T.C.H." in W.I.T.C.H. I really recommend to read her stories.**_

**Chapter 24**

_Moments earlier_

'So you guys know the plan?' Taranee said as she looked at every leader.

They all nodded.

'I go and give the impression that we aren't ready.' Will said with a nod.

'I'll go with her while wearing the blue Atlantean gem and being invisible.' Georgi said. 'At Will's sign I activate the crystal.'

'At the same time as Will and Georgi distract Yan-Lin and Hay-Lin, we will place the anti-transporting pillars, keeping them hidden with another Atlantean crystal, until all of them are in place.' Andrew said.

'We'll wait for her to show up right next to the fortress.' Cornelia said.

'I'll snatch Georgi away before Hay-Lin can kill her.' Angelo said.

'And then we will enter through other folds, hopefully surprising Hay-Lin's forces.' Orube said, getting a nod from Taranee.

'Then let's get this game started.' Will said as she clapped her hands.

A fold opened and Will nodded at Georgi. She swallowed and turned invisible.

'Good luck!' Natasha said.

'Be careful!' Edeline said.

'Stay alive!' Ehren said, getting a nudge from Ilana.

'Be save.' Ilana then said.

Will nodded and walked through the fold. At the same moment Angelo opened another fold and looked at his fellow Warriors. They all smiled at them as they held a orange pillar in their hands.

'Let's surprise Yannie.' Cassidy said.

'And Hay-Lin.' Mandy said with a small growl.

Cassidy, Joel and Mandy hopped through the fold. Andrew kissed Irma one last time while Angelo kissed Cornelia.

'Stay alive cousin!' Sam yelled.

'And don't forget, don't start without us!' Leonas added.

Angelo snickered as he too went through the fold. While the fold closed, Irma and Taranee were looking questioningly at Cornelia. Cornelia noticed them staring and flipped her hair.

'What?' she said.

'Since when are the two of you an item?' Irma asked, poking Cornelia.

'Does that matter?' Cornelia asked. 'We've got a battle coming up.'

'Yesterday, hum?' Taranee said, making Cornelia blush angrily.

'Taranee! I thought you were the one lecturing Will on not reading someone's mind!' Cornelia said angered.

Taranee laughed at this.

'I didn't, I bluffed. You just told us.' she said with a grin.

Cornelia reddened even more while now both Irma and Taranee were laughing. They noticed that several people were looking confused and surprised at them but they ignored the looks.

'Is everything okay with Taranee?' Nigel asked Caleb. 'I mean, we're going into war and she's joking around.'

Caleb shrugged.

'That's their way of relieving stress.' he replied. 'You should be happy. Irma is worse.'

Before Nigel could reply, Taranee opened a fold to Kandrakar with a stone she'd gotten from Will. Before Irma walked in she placed an arm around Cornelia's shoulders.

'Hay-Lin made a big mess.' she said. 'Let's do a big job in messing with her!'

Cornelia nodded grimly as she, together with Irma and their battalion walked through the fold. Taranee took Nigel's hands and looked sadly at him.

'Ready?' she asked.

'Always.' he answered as both walked through the fold.

Once through the fold, Nigel and several other rebels couldn't help but marvel at the vastness of Kandrakar. They walked several steps before he looked down.

'Taranee…? Are these really..?' he said shocked.

'Clouds, yes.' Taranee replied. 'This is the only place where you can walk on the clouds and there in the distance is the fortress.'

Taranee had to smile as she saw how Nigel looked in awe at the big fortress that was laying nearby. She'd hoped she could have shown it to him when everything was still fine. As more rebels were looking surprised around they noticed a flash. Immediately everyone grabbed for their weapons. Once the bright light of the flash started to diminish Taranee noticed that an orange shield enveloped the fortress. The fight had started. Her gaze went back to the now new group of people and…trees standing in front of them. Georgi was still standing in front of Hay-Lin but Taranee hadn't blinked before Georgi had disappeared again. Within seconds Angelo stood next to her with Georgi in his arms.

'Good job girl.' he whispered to Georgi, who nodded, still a bit trembling.

'So….This was her big plan?'

Taranee kept looking at Hay-Lin, who sneered at what seemed to be her smallest threat ever. She started laughing and this time, even Cornelia and Irma shivered.

'That's one obnoxious laugh!' Irma complained as she rubbed her ears.

Hay-Lin seemed to ignore the comment and glared at them.

'My army can easily squash you. I think I'll go back. I've got some unfinished business.'

She closed her eyes but nothing happened. Hay-Lin opened her eyes and a violent wind started to rise. Everyone held close to one another to keep themselves on the ground.

'What's this? Why can't I teletransport back?' Hay-Lin bellowed.

'That would be thanks to my invention and Will's magic.' Martin said triumphant.

Hay-Lin glared daggers at Martin as he continued to explain.

'See that orange shield? No one can get in, or out.' Martin said as he twirled one of his guns.

'So Hey Hay. Your loss.' Irma taunted.

Hay-Lin's sneer quickly turned into a wicked smile.

'Is that so, old friend?' Hay-Lin said.

'I'm not old!' Irma yelled back, something Hay-Lin ignored.

'What I can see is that you are greatly outnumbered. I don't have to waste my power on you.' she continued.

At this, the rebellion started to laugh.

'Oh, poor poor Hey Hay.' Irma said through the laughter.

'She has her head in the clouds for too long, huh?' Cornelia agreed.

'What's so funny?' Hay-Lin said, letting an ice cold gale blow over the field.

'You see, this isn't the complete rebellion.' Taranee said.

At that moment several folds opened. From the folds the armies of Arkhanta and Minus and the rebellion of Earth, Meridian, Dreadmore and Basiliade. Hay-Lin's eyes opened in surprise as she looked around. The rebellion had surrounded her.

'This is our army.' Caleb finished as he held Blue Destiny up high.

'And we're ready to kick your Asian butt into Infinity!' Irma growled.

Despite being surrounded Hay-Lin laughed. She used her powers and flew up, getting a good look of the battle field.

'You're fools! I've got more power than any of you and still you think you have a chance? My army is bigger and better trained. You have no chance! Surrender now, or die cruelly.' Hay-Lin said evilly.

'If I got a nickel for every time a villain said that I would be a millionaire.' Irma yelled back.

'We've got a better option.' Cornelia yelled. 'Surrender or get your ass beaten by us!'

This made the whole rebellion cheer and raised their weapons. Hay-Lin's look darkened as she looked down.

'So be it.' she said darkly.

She opened a fold herself and a enormous beast with one hand as a silver club walked out.

'Is that…?' Taranee said softly.

'Gargoyle!' Irma yelled annoyed. 'I forgot! How could I forget such a thing!'

'What?' Angelo nervously said. 'That he's grown a lot more and under Hay-Lin's spell. Thanks for the heads up.'

'Attack!' Hay-Lin ordered.

Hay-Lin's armies, though a bit scared for the bulk of magic users on the enemy's side, ran at their enemy, roaring their battle cries.

'This is it.' Angelo muttered. 'FOR EARTH!'

'For Basiliade!'

'For Arkhanta!'

'For Metamoor!'

'For Minus!'

'For Erutan!'

Mandy looked quizzically at Cassidy as the fight started.

'For Erutan?' she asked.

Cassidy shrugged.

'We have our powers from that planet's Heart. I thought it would only be fair if I mentioned it in the fight.'

Mandy shook her head as she shot some feathers at an incoming array of knives. The feathers blocked the knives neatly and Cassidy countered with shooting an icebeam at the men who'd thrown the knives. Before the two could celebrate they had to jump out of the way of a giant club coming down on them. Gargoyle was being the biggest problem on the field, literally. He kept the rebels at bay and Hay-Lin's men could easily hit them. The only ones who could evade him were the people from Minus, who were now trying to cripple the Zamballans and the gunmen.

'I'll take him!'

'No Andrew!' Angelo said as he turned to Andrew. 'You can't match his height!'

'Why not?' Irma asked.

'He'll lose his intelligence the higher he goes.' Cassidy said seriously. 'Last time that happened he thought Mandy was a pretty bird and tried to squash her. Luckily Mandy found out that she could guide him back to a height where he can think on his own.'

'Someone has to stop Gargoyle!' Andrew insisted. 'And we can't lose a massive portion of our magic users for just him!'

'But Andrew the risks!' Mandy said.

'I'm willing to take.' Andrew said.

'I won't let you sacrifice yourself. Especially not if Hay-Lin notices that you're stupider than normal, no offense, she'll try to enthrall you! I'm not sure if the bracelet will work then!' Joel said angrily.

Irma smiled.

'I've got an idea of keeping him in line. Grow Andrew.' she said.

The Warriors looked at her as if she'd lost it but Irma urged Andrew. Andrew shrugged and started growing. Once he reached his max without losing any intelligence he looked down. He saw Irma urging him to grow more so he could match Gargoyle's length. He gulped and started to grow beyond his own boundaries. He slowly noticed that he was getting dumber until the moment that he couldn't care about it.

The Warriors looked concerned at Andrew as he started to clap, creating air waves and laughing like a little child.

'Irma, do you want to lose Andrew?' Cassidy asked, concerned and angry.

Irma glared at Cassidy.

'Of course not.' she said coldly. 'But watch.'

Irma created a pillar of water under her, bringing her to the height where Andrew's eyes were at.

'Andrew! Baby up here!'

Andrew's eyes went to Irma and looked confused at her.

'Ir…ma?' He said slowly.

'That's a good boy!' Irma cooed.

Andrew caught Irma in his hands and looked at her. Irma grinned.

'Put me on your head Andrew. Let's help our friends!' she said.

Andrew smiled slowly at her and placed her on his head. Irma created two long ropes of water and froze them to Andrew's mouth. She pulled them, making Andrew roar.

'Hey ho Silver! Away!' Irma yelled.

Everyone looked in shock at how Irma steered Andrew to Gargoyle and the two started a fight.

'She actually rides him.' Mandy said surprised. 'And he listens!'

'Way to go Irma!' Cornelia whooped.

Now that Gargoyle was out of the way, the rebels could attack Hay-Lin's troops. The Warriors split up, helping their fellow rebels. Taranee and Cornelia had started a search for Hay-Lin, hoping to take her down, while Nerissa and Caleb found two opponents they thought that were destroyed. Hatred fueled them as they fought hard against Vertex and Vexes. Vexes and Vertex both had to use their own magic to create their swords and to create a shield against any magical attacks and still they seemed to have trouble with keeping Caleb and Nerissa at bay.

'Well well. Look who we got here. Isn't that a coincidence, Nigel?'

Nigel kicked someone of Earth away from him and turned around to face the voice. His heart throbbed with pain to see a former friend standing behind him. He had blood on his face and a wicked grin parted his lips.

'Uriah.' Nigel said with a nod.

'Why are you fighting against Miss Lin?' Uriah asked as he played with a blood stained knife. 'Look what she has done for me? Remember how cowardly I was? I don't feel any fear now.'

Nigel looked with disgust at him and perhaps some pity. Uriah noticed the pity look and threw his knife at Nigel, who dodged it in time.

'Quit looking like that, Ashcroft.' he growled.

Nigel laughed a bit.

'Hehehe. Uriah…When I opened my eyes I could see that you were a weakling. Trying to seem big by bullying others. I just think it's ironic that you're now in service of someone who tries the same as you.' Nigel said.

Another knife shot past Nigel's face and created a small cut on his cheek. Nigel's eyes opened wide when he saw that Uriah kept taking knives out of his clothes.

'Shut up.' Uriah growled. 'I'm better and all thanks to Miss Lin. And if you can't see that, than die!'

Uriah jumped at Nigel. Nigel grabbed his own knife and he and Uriah started a knife fight. Uriah got even more enraged when he saw that Nigel's look was full of concentration and pity. Uriah didn't need pity, just the fun of torture.

*Don't worry Uriah. I'll get you back. You were after all my first friend.* Nigel thought as he again dodged a knife.

Angelo, Joel, Orube and G.E.N.I.E. had stuck together. They fought through a lot of people when they saw a giant bolt of green energy coming at them. G.E.N.I.E. took the air with Joel while Orube and Angelo dodged. They saw Elyon and Phobos coming at them.

'It's the Queen!' Ilana said shocked. 'I can't fight the Queen!'

'Who's that guy with her?' Ehren asked.

'Phobos.' Orube growled, creating two energy balls in her hands.

Phobos smirked and raised his hands. A wave of dark magic flooded over them, knocking G.E.N.I.E. and Joel almost out the air.

'Since when is he so strong?' Orube groaned.

Angelo peered at Phobos and noticed that he was wearing a similar crown to the one Elyon was wearing.

'Hey? Since when does an imprisoned Prince wear a crown?' he said surprised.

'I bet it gives him power!' Joel said.

'So…Freeze the Queen, nick the crown of the Prince and knock them out?' Ehren asked as she encased her hands with water.

'Love it when you summarize these things.' Natasha said, encasing her hands in electricity.

The five girls nodded and all focused their magic on Phobos. Elyon created a shield around her brother, but that gave Orube a chance to land a hit on her. As Elyon skidded a bit backwards, Phobos again shot another wave of magic. this time he managed to knock the Guardians down.

'It should be illegal for guys like him to hit that hard!' Ehren moaned.

Angelo grinned at the kids before locking his eyes on Elyon and Phobos. This was promising to be one heck of a battle.

Lilian, Chris and Napoleon had followed Cassidy and Mandy. They had promised to stay near adults during the fight and they were now fighting several trolls. Out of nowhere another small herd of trolls came but these ones started to fight the trolls of Hay-Lin.

'Kat'ali, nice of you to show up!' Cassidy said with a grin at one troll.

The troll grinned back.

'Ya mon! We had a little problem with some dudes over there. No worry, they be dead mon.' he yelled back at her before starting to cast a spell.

Cassidy grinned when she saw from the corner of her eye that Leona and Malcolm were being attacked from the back. She reacted quickly by shooting ice at the men, not being surprised when she saw a white and blue beam shot at the attackers as well. Leona and Malcolm turned around and smiled at Cassidy, Mandy, Lilian, Chris and Napoleon.

'Thanks for the save guys!' Malcolm said.

'No problem. That's why we're here, right?' Mandy replied with a grin.

The small group grinned at each other when their attention turned to a loud BANG and lots of moans. They turned around and saw how Cornelia was catapulted into them. Mandy noticed the injuries and quickly healed Cornelia.

'Cornelia, what happened?' Cassidy asked concerned.

'Ugh. I've seen a lot, but this is overdoing it!' Cornelia mumbled as she rubbed her stomach.

'What?' Leona asked scared.

'I was searching for Hay-Lin when I suddenly got grabbed….' Cornelia replied a little pale. 'By Eric and Bess.'

The group looked confused at each other when Malcolm started to pale.

'Please…Please don't tell me that…' he stammered.

Loud thumps were heard of something heavy coming at them. They all looked at the source and Malcolm found his question answered. Several men, rebels or Hay-Lin's henchmen, flew aside to show two beasts of people. One looked like a male, with black hair and a light tan. He only wore some shorts. The other looked distinctly female, she had red hair hanging loose. Some cloth was still around the torso, and shorts finished this person's outfit.

'B-B-B-Bess?' Mandy stuttered in utter disbelieve.

'E-Er-Eric?' Cassidy said in the same surprised way.

Both Eric and Bess, better to be described as two human Hulks, locked their gazes on the small group. Lilian and Chris stepped back, while Napoleon growled angrily. Mandy and Cassidy were still too surprised while Cornelia got up and glared at the two.

'I knew Hay-Lin had done something with them, I just didn't know what. They're even worse off them Irma, me, Phobos or Uriah.' Cornelia said sadly as she let her hands glow green.

'I don't even want to know.' Cassidy said.

Bess jumped at the small group and they quickly jumped out of the way. They could feel the wind coming from the movement that Bess' hands made as they came down and they were all glad that they dodged it. From out a corner Mandy noticed Hay-Lin standing near her troops.

'Cornelia! Hay-Lin's there! Go! We'll stop these two!' Mandy said as she used her wings to block a punch from Eric.

Even though she didn't feel any pain she still felt the force with which the punch had hit her. When she opened her wings she noticed that she had moved at least ten feet.

Cornelia looked concerned at her two friends and her little sister and Chris.

'Just go Corny! I've seen bigger fish!' Cassidy said, shooting an icebeam at Eric, who just broke out of it.

Lilian shot her own magic at them while Napoleon growled and tackled Bess, ending with a lock down between the two. Malcolm and Leona decided that it was better to keep other enemies away and fought everyone who dared to come near. Cornelia nodded proudly and locked her gaze on Hay-Lin. She'd sent Taranee a telepathic message and she was now nearing her former friend.

Hay-Lin stood behind her army, watching how people butchered each other. Cornelia came up from behind and she noticed that all the noises from the battle seemed to dampen.

'Trying to assassinate me, Cornelia?'

Cornelia repressed a shiver and looked coldly at Hay-Lin, who still had her back turned on her.

'Both you and I know that that would be impossible, Hay-Lin.' Cornelia replied, her voice cold.

Hay-Lin snickered a bit.

'My my. Using your cold voice? What did I do? Steal your boyfriend?'

Cornelia gritted her teeth but she didn't need to reply, because someone else was before her.

'How about destroying the balance of the universe, our friendship and trust?'

Hay-Lin looked aside to see that Taranee had entered her protective barrier. Again a smile graced her lips.

'Taranee. I should've known you would come too.' Hay-Lin said inviting.

'Cut the crap Hay-Lin. You've done too much damage. Not just to us but to humanity and other races.' Taranee said coldly.

Hay-Lin shrugged.

'So? I wanted you guys with me, but you four just had to work against me. You could've had everything you wanted.' Hay-Lin said.

'This is madness, Hay-Lin!' Taranee growled back.

Hay-Lin laughed at that.

'Madness, you say?' she said with a grin. 'You have no idea how powerful madness can be!'

With that Hay-Lin started the fight. She shot a beam of pure energy at Taranee, who tried to block it with a fire shield. The beam broke through it and threw Taranee a bit back. Cornelia countered by using her telekinesis to throw Hay-Lin away. Hay-Lin countered with an own air shield, rendering the attack useless.

'This will be one long battle!' Taranee yelled at Cornelia as the two of them faced off to a now glowing Hay-Lin.

Hay-Lin laughed maniacally before shooting another blast.

_**[A/N] That was it! The battle has finally started! Everyone has found someone they could handle…or not :P But, the way I see it now…Hay-Lin's side seems to be winning…But everything can happen! I used this chapter to give every character I thought was important enough t be mentioned a small bit of the spotlight, but if you think another character should get some spotlight too then tell me! Maybe I'll put it in the next chapter.**_

_**Review!**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**[A/N] I need to tell you guys that, seeing that both Will and Yan-Lin are an Oracle they share several things. And, as Will explained in an earlier chapter, Will can do things Yan-Lin can't and vice versa. But they also share memories of previous Oracles. Will has half of her predecessors while Yan-Lin has the other half. The only thing is Yan-Lin doesn't know this. She thinks she has all the memories and powers of an Oracle and that if she kills Will, she would get only stronger. Will is actually the only one who knows this…**_

**Chapter 25**

Yan-Lin grumbled annoyed. How could she have not seen this? The moment Hay-Lin disappeared with her complete army and that little girl, the new Air Guardian, Will had disappeared as well. She cursed softly as she placed her cup of tea on a bench of the Council Room. She tried to sense the God forsaken girl but Will blocked her from sensing her. Why did this girl have to be so troublesome? It had all looked so good at first. She grumbled a bit under her breath as she walked further, through the halls of her fortress. A snicker then escaped her lips as she rounded a corner. How foolish of her to think that Will could be an actual threat. The girl hadn't even had a year to practice her powers. To train her skills. She was merely a child given a gun, not knowing how to use it. She would most surely destroy herself before Yan-Lin had to raise a finger.

A shiver went over her spine and she knew a fold had opened. And she knew where. She hurried to the place, wondering if Will would try to flee. That would be rather unusual for the girl, she never knew when to call it quits. Her mood darkened when she rushed past the dog's house where Blunk used to be in. Now it was empty. She hurried her pace and she arrived at the room where Sandpit the sandcastle used to stand. Again, used to. Now the only thing Yan-Lin saw was one big empty room, with Will standing in the middle with a rather smug grin on her face. Yan-Lin noted Will's strange choice of clothing. Instead of her normal boyish clothes like pants and long sleeved shirts she wore a battle dress. The same dress Hay-Lin forced her to wear. The black silk flowed seamlessly past her skin and the only thing that had changed was that the pink dragon that once marked her as Hay-Lin's servant had disappeared. Instead the Heart of Kandrakar was printed on the right part of her chest. A golden seam graced the edges of the dress and Yan-Lin noticed that the golden seam was placed in such a way that the five elemental symbols repeated themselves. Yan-Lin shortly gazed over her own, traditional white dress. She always hated the way how Himerish clothed the people in Kandrakar and once she destroyed Will she would change the clothes. After all, she deserved more glamour.

'You didn't.' Yan-Lin said in a cold voice.

Will only raised her eyebrows playfully.

'Did what?' she asked innocently.

Yan-Lin cracked a grin.

'How cute, trying to act innocent. Let's cut that crap. Both you and I know that one of us will leave this room victorious and the other will not leave it at all.' she said.

Will's face quickly fell and the smug expression turned into a serious expression. Yan-Lin walked slowly at Will and both started to circle one another. In the distance they could hear a lot of roaring and explosions, signaling them that the battle had begun.

'Why did you save Sandpit and the Passling?' Yan-Lin asked.

Will smirked at her.

'Telling you all my secrets would be a bit unfair, don't you think?' she teased.

Yan-Lin prepared her attack, but kept trying to keep Will's attention away from their current fight. She knew that Hay-Lin had thought that she could get Will to her side. It had almost worked too, if the guy who was supposed to kill Susan hadn't fallen in love with her. But because of Hay-Lin's miscalculation, Will was a fairly well trained assassin. Trained to be silent and deadly. But as long as Yan-Lin kept her shield up, Will shouldn't be able to touch her. Especially not with that weak power level. Yan-Lin estimated that she was roughly three times stronger than Will, making her smile even more for her upcoming battle.

'So…Where is Hay-Lin?' Will asked while looking around.

Yan-Lin raised an eyebrow. Will was the one who'd sent her away. So why was she asking where Hay-Lin was?

Will seemed to get Yan-Lin's confusion.

'What? You didn't tell her that folds go through the shield?' she asked surprised.

At this Yan-Lin had to laugh. Not only at Will's stupid honesty but also to hide her mistake. How could she have forgotten to send Hay-Lin a message? It didn't matter anyway. She didn't need her granddaughter. Hay-Lin had fulfilled her usefulness, she would die after this. Now Yan-Lin could fight her own battle.

'I don't need my hotheaded granddaughter to defeat you.' she sneered.

Will merely shrugged.

'As you wish.' she said.

It was a good thing that Yan-Lin hadn't blinked, or else she would have gotten hit by something she hadn't seen. She quickly sidestepped and saw how the bolt of light purple magic missed her by inches. The bolt shot further, creating a black scorch mark on the wall behind her. Was it just a fluke or was this Will's power level? If it was the latter than the kid would die before she knew it.

Yan-Lin retaliated by using both her hands and shooting a bolt of dark purple magic at Will from one hand and a gust of wind from the other. The wind reached Will quicker than the bolt of magic, knocking her slightly back before she got the full hit of Yan-Lin's attack. An explosion ensued and a lot of smoke came from the spot where Yan-Lin's magic had touched Will. Yan-Lin smiled as she patiently waited for the smoke to disappear when she heard a sigh of relief behind her.

'Phiew. That looks painful.'

Yan-Lin turned around, her smile turning into a scowl, as she looked at the red haired girl standing four foot behind her. She didn't even have a scratch but Yan-Lin had been sure she'd attacked her. Then something else caught Yan-Lin's attention. The energy of this Will was roughly four times the power of the Will she attacked. This Will looked with a smile at Yan-Lin and Yan-Lin figured it out.

'That…That was an Astral Drop?' she asked surprised.

Creating an Astral Drop with a fourth of your power is a very difficult piece of magic. Yan-Lin had to practice the skill for two months and still they weren't as perfect as the one she just destroyed. And she wasn't even talking about the fact how Will had managed to keep her own, stronger energy hidden from Yan-Lin's Sight.

'You like?' Will asked.

Without waiting for an answer she lunged at Yan-Lin. Yan-Lin reacted too slow, due to her older body, and she felt how Will's hand nearly protruded her shield and how that hand was sparking with electricity. Some sparks even touched her and left a small burn mark on the sleeve of her arm. She turned around to see that Will had turned around as well, still having that annoying smirk on her face.

'You're pretty fast.' she commented.

Yan-Lin, despite the current situation, smirked as well.

'I hope this wasn't the best you've got. Because this will be your undoing.'

She charged a bolt of magic and threw it at Will. Will countered with the same bolt of magic and the two bolts collided. Will's bolt managed to reduce Yan-Lin's attack to nothing before it exploded, creating a shockwave that blew Will and Yan-Lin away from each other. Yan-Lin hid her shock by immediately throwing another bolt of magic. This bolt was blue and green colored. Will saw it just in time and countered with a flamethrower and a gust of wind. Again the magic collided, though this time they cancelled each other out.

'Smart move, cancelling earth and water with fire and air.' Yan-Lin admitted with a smirk. 'Too bad it won't work with this!'

She moved her arms slowly and energy started to spark around them. She traced her right arm with her left arm and the energy went to her outstretched fingers. She shot the strong bolt of energy at Will. Will was too slow and got hit right in the chest. She moaned of pain and fell down. Yan-Lin grinned until she heard Will's laugh.

'Haha. Now this is ironic.'

Will got up from the ground. She had a small scorch mark right above her right breast. Yan-Lin again charged her hands with Quintessence and Will smirked at her, she even beckoned her for shooting her again. Yan-Lin growled softly and shot the Quintessence bolts at Will. This time Will stretched her hand and caught the Quintessence. The Quintessence energy ran through her body but instead the pain that Yan-Lin had meant Yan-Lin noticed a spark of power raising from Will. Will had closed her eyes when she caught the attack but now her eyes flung open, showing Yan-Lin that her eyes weren't the same cinnamon brown eyes but two orbs of lightning. Will then did the exact same movement as Yan-Lin, only tracing her left arm with her right, and she shot a bigger bolt of Quintessence at Yan-Lin.

'Quintessence!'

Yan-Lin received the blow in seconds and shot backwards. She felt how she hit the wall behind her and she was sure that some cracks appeared on the wall. She felt sore and growled at her own stupidity. A stupidity Will was about to point out.

'Not a smart move. Using my own element against me, Oracle.' Will said softly, though it was clearly audible.

Yan-Lin let out a broken laugh. She let herself fall down and ended on her feet. The pain was slowly disappearing and she patted some dust of her clothes. The child would pay.

'The fight would end quickly if I didn't give you a handicap.' Yan-Lin lied, trying to taunt Will.

Will merely raised an eyebrow. Her eyes had returned to their normal brown, indicating that her short moment of power was over. Then, without further notice, a hurricane appeared out of nowhere, slamming Will into a wall before pulling her back in. Yan-Lin added her own magic to it, making the hurricane dark purple. The moans of pain that came from Will were almost like music to her ears. The moans of pain subdued but before Yan-Lin could it, the hurricane turned light purple. Yan-Lin's eyes widened how lightning arched from it and how several flames shot at her.

She created a stronger shield to block the elements that Will had put against her and the fireballs bounced off harmlessly. Lightning shot at her and ice quickly followed. Yan-Lin felt how her own shield started to falter but she refused to let this child win. The hurricane was still raging but Yan-Lin noticed too late that Will had managed to get behind her. She turned around the moment Will kicked her. There had to be magic that fueled her strength because Yan-Lin shot at the hurricane with full speed. The hurricane smashed her against a wall before it disappeared.

Yan-Lin coughed harshly. Her vision blurred a bit. She couldn't grasp it. How could the kid be this strong? If this continued she had to go full out on her. She crouched up and noticed how Will walked up to her. She could feel how Will grabbed her at her collar. Yan-Lin's own dark grey eyes looked into the mahogany eyes of her would be successor. Yan-Lin saw several emotions swim in the young girl's eyes like worry, sorrow, pity and anger.

'This is the end, I'm afraid.' Will said calmly.

Yan-Lin grinned. The girl had much to learn.

'Oh really?' Yan-Lin said.

Will's eyes showed a sign of concern and hesitation and that was all Yan-Lin needed. She summoned her magic and she blasted it in Will's stomach. Will hadn't had a shield up and was forced to release Yan-Lin. The blast shot her to the other side of the room, breaking a part of the wall.

Yan-Lin smirked at the broken form of the little girl. She knew Will was stronger than this and her smirk grew wider. It was time to use the thing she had been training on for so long. It was an old trick only one Oracle found out about. It was the way to enhance your powers to a level just below Zenith. An Oracle was never allowed to reach his or hers Zenith level, if he or she managed it would mean the end of not only himself or herself but also of the whole universe. That's why this trick was invented, in case the Guardians would ever turn on Kandrakar and use their Zenith to try and destroy Kandrakar. It was a memory the third Oracle had repressed but she had managed to remember it and master it.

She saw Will stir and decided that now was the moment to use it. She closed her eyes and summoned her magic. She willed it to envelop her, to fuel her, heal her. She willed the magic in Kandrakar to add to that power. She felt how it fueled her and she felt how she changed. She had grown to her old length and she could feel how her hair changed its shape. The sensation ceased and Yan-Lin crackled literally with power. She stretched her now wrinkleless hands and she ran through her now shorter hair. She saw Will's incredulous look. The girl must have been healing while Yan-Lin powered up because her wounds had disappeared. The only thing that showed that she'd been harassed were the slashes in her dress.

Yan-Lin laughed at Will, liking her now younger voice even better. The girl's face was completely in shock while she was looking at the now younger looking Yan-Lin.

'What the?' Will said shocked.

Yan-Lin laughed again and she shot a powerful bolt of air at Will. It hit Will and Will was again thrown into the wall, this time going through it. Yan-Lin walked swiftly and she was in no time in front of Will. She grabbed Will's collar and she pulled Will up with surprising strength before throwing Will through the new room. Will hit the ground hard.

Yan-Lin snickered as noticed how tears fell from Will's eyes. This time Yan-Lin shot a bolt of fire at Will. She could feel the natural shield around Will crack as the fire collided with her fragile childish body. Will moaned in pain but still managed to crawl up again. Not that Yan-Lin was surprised. She was actually liking this. She shot a jet of extreme cold water at Will and growled silently when the water shot past her. Will had more strength than she let on.

Will got up shakily and some tears streamed from her face, though her expression was completely calm.

'Are those tears of pain?' Yan-Lin taunted. 'Do you finally see you can't win?'

Will let out a short, barking laugh while whiping the tears away.

'Yes, these are tears of pain.' she admitted, making Yan-Lin smirk. 'But not of physical pain. But emotional.'

Yan-Lin looked in Will's chocolate eyes and the emotions she saw pulled her back to a moment years ago.

_Flashback 7 years ago_

Yan-Lin's health was steadily going backwards. She knew she was to die in two or three days. Her granddaughter only left her side to go to school. The other girls came by as many times as possible, Will being the one who visited the most of them.

She coughed again, loudly. She hated this. She was so close. Will was becoming more and more the way she liked. But if she died, her influence on Will would disappear and her plan would shatter. Then all her hard work over the years would go up in smoke. As she coughed again while thinking about some trump cards she could use to keep Will under her control a knock was heard.

'Come in.' Yan-Lin said with a rough voice.

She expected Hay-Lin to enter but she was happily surprised to see Will's red hair. Will herself quickly followed and to Yan-Lin's surprise Will was crying.

'Will?' Yan-Lin said softly.

Will shook her head and took a chair. She sat next to Yan-Lin and looked at her with her chocolate eyes swimming in tears.

'What…?' Yan-Lin started, again faking her concern. Over the years she'd become quite good in faking her feelings.

'I can feel it.'

It was a soft whisper, filled with sorrow. Yan-Lin hid her surprise. She never thought Will would or could feel life force fading.

'The others are outside. They don't know yet.' she whispered.

Yan-Lin nodded slowly, but stopped as she felt her head hurt. The girl was getting too good.

'I see.' Yan-Lin said softly. 'And you won't tell them, will you?'

Will shook her head.

'No. That's your decision. I don't want to hurt them.' she said.

Yan-Lin smirked. Will was always a good leader and the girls, even Cornelia, followed her blindly. Yan-Lin had always thought that Cornelia and Taranee would be a problem, seeing how Cornelia was fond of her leadership status and how smart Taranee was but those two followed Will even more than her granddaughter or Irma. If she could manipulate Will now enough to keep her forever, all things were set.

'Thank you, my dear.' Yan-Lin said softly.

Will smiled sadly at the older woman. She grabbed Yan-Lin's hand and squeezed it gently.

'You'll go to Kandrakar, right?' she asked hopefully.

Yan-Lin smiled. Of course she would go to Kandrakar. She had managed to elude the Oracle for so long that the old fool thought that she had always served Kandrakar loyally.

'I think I will.' she replied.

Will smiled at her. Yan-Lin pulled Will softly closer to her.

'Will. I need you to look at me.' she whispered.

With some luck her powers would help her once again. After all, she had managed to find a way to do certain things if the Heart was close. And with Will close, she could finish part two of her plan.

Will neared her and Yan-Lin could feel the Heart pulse under the girl's shirt. She secretly managed to tap in the Heart's magic flow. Will's eyes flickered temporarily, as if she noticed something. Though her eyes kept their gaze on Yan-Lin's eyes. Yan-Lin forced the magic to do her bidding. She could feel the magic flow from her eyes to Will's.

'Can you promise me, vow to me on the Heart of Kandrakar to obey me and to never question me?' Yan-Lin said softly.

She used the magic to make Will form the words in her mouth. It strained her a bit but if she managed everything would be worth it.

'I…swear…on the Heart of…' Will started.

Yan-Lin then noticed a strange glow in Will's eyes and Will's eyes hardened. She looked surprised and hurt at Yan-Lin.

'Why?' Will asked.

This was new. Will never noticed the magic, let alone fought it. How could she fight it now?

'It's important.' Yan-Lin pressed on, trying to tap more magic from the Heart.

Will pulled back, savoring the connection Yan-Lin had with the Heart. The sudden cut in the link made Yan-Lin gasp for air and Will got up. Her eyes were filled with shock, pain, sorrow, pity and hope.

'I have to go.' Will said rather harshly. 'The rest will see you now.'

With that Will left and Yan-Lin silently cursed. How did the girl stop her? How did she know? Her whole plan was foiled. How could continue now? Was all her work for nothing?

Hay-Lin's head popped out of the door, concern swimming in her grey eyes.

'Grandma, Will left in a hurry. Did anything happen?' she asked concerned.

Hello second chance.

_End flashback_

'Why?' Will asked.

Yan-Lin cackled.

'Poor little Will. Can't you see it? This world. This universe revolves around one thing. Power. It's all about power and taking control.' she answered with glee.

Will's eyes showed an extra emotion. Disgust.

'You did all this, infecting Nerissa, killing Cassidy, manipulating me and Hay-Lin for power?' she said in disgust.

'Pretty much, yes.' Yan-Lin replied with a shrug.

She launched another blast, this time with the element water. Will yelled in pain but Yan-Lin noticed something that irked her a bit. Again another energy spike came from Will, though it was a short one.

'You…Sacrificed so many people…Just to get to power?' Will said with difficulty.

Yan-Lin smiled. The kid seemed to finally get how this world works. She was always too 'good' for the universe. She never wanted to see the real life. Now she was confronted with it, by the one she once saw as her mentor.

'I'm glad you see it.' Yan-Lin said. 'That reliefs me from a lot of trouble. Now you can die in pieces.'

She focused her magic in her hands, making a very condensed version of her magic bolt. The magic pulsed and small power waved came from her hands, flowing through the room.

'Goodbye, child.' Yan-Lin said, victory ringing in her voice.

She shot the bolt of magic at Will's head. A great explosion ensued and Yan-Lin laughed maniacally as she waited for the smoke to clear away. The wall behind her had crumbled from the force. As the smoke started to diminish Yan-Lin knew something went wrong. She had to feel the increase in power a long time ago. A laugh came from the smoke. An insane laugh.

Yan-Lin peered through the smoke and saw a figure of a woman standing. The eyes glowed menacingly and even the mouth lit up when she laughed. The laughing stopped and suddenly the smoke moved away, as if pulled by a strong wind.

Yan-Lin couldn't believe her eyes. She didn't want to believe her eyes. Will was standing there but she looked different. Her hair was longer, her eyes were no longer brown but again two orbs of lightning, her build was stronger and lightning, fire, water and air swirled around her while bits of earth broke from the floor and swirled around her feet.

'I'm sorry. I thought you would change, but you threw my second chance away. Now you will pay!' Will's voice boomed with a power that made Yan-Lin tremble.

A shockwave blasted fro Will's body, knocking Yan-Lin against one of the few walls that were left standing in the room. Yan-Lin opened her eyes in shock and saw Will nearing her. This can't be good.

_**[A/N] Tada! End of this chapter! Hope you liked it! Questions? Ask away! Maybe I'll answer, maybe I don't. And tell me your thoughts! So Review!**_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Irma looked down. She was pretty high up…She doubted that she ever reached this height when she was a Guardian. Her attention was caught when Gargoyle started roaring. He must have spotted Andrew. Not that that was a feat, seeing that Andrew matched his height.

Irma slapped with the reins, steering Andrew towards Gargoyle. If Gargoyle was preoccupied, then the rebels could get through. Gargoyle also started walking towards them. Screams reached Irma's ears and she glanced down. A lot of Hay-Lin's henchmen were screaming in surprise at Andrew nearing them and gunshots filled the air. Some bullets whizzed right past her yet none managed to hit her. They did hit Andrew, but with his armor and now strengthened skin, he only felt some itches. She chuckled as she waved at the men. They must have followed a course 'How to be a bad guy' considering that all bad guys in every movie never managed to hit the good guys…Or hurt in this case.

Gargoyle started an attack. He threw his club-like hand at Andrew and Irma yelled in surprise. She really should stop daydreaming during battles. Luckily Andrew saw it coming and blocked the hit. He then slowly raised his own fist and punched Gargoyle a bit back.

Irma had heard more screams and looked down again. Now the rebels were engaging the battle, screaming the names of their planets again. Irma felt a pride swell up and lashed again with the reins.

'For Earth!' she yelled.

Andrew roared as well and they rushed at Gargoyle, who again started punching. Andrew got a firm hit in his stomach, which Irma retaliated with a boiling hot stream of water at Gargoyle's face.

'Sorry big fella!' she screamed. 'I'll patch you up once this is over!'

Andrew punched, making Gargoyle roar even more. Gargoyle quickly recovered and rushed at Andrew, knocking him down.

A lot of people had to run away or else they got flattened. Irma had quickly crawled to Andrew's nose and winced when Andrew landed.

'That's gotta hurt.' she muttered.

She saw some flabbergasted rebels looking at her. Andrew groaned before he started to crawl up. Irma finger waved at them as she steered with the reins.

'G'day mates!' she yelled with an Australian accent.

She laughed loudly at the even more confused faces before she and Andrew focused their attention back on Gargoyle. Andrew roared loudly and ran at Gargoyle with Irma hopping on top of his head.

'Calm down boy!' Irma yelled.

Andrew ignored her and he and Gargoyle grabbed each other's fists, ending in a deadlock. Irma sighed a bit bored as she looked at Gargoyle. Gargoyle's eye was focusing on Andrew and she let herself fall in Andrew's hair.

'Oh boy…This will take some time.' she moaned.

Further away and lots of feet down, Caleb and Nerissa were fighting against Vertex and Vexes. The anger the two of them had felt had started to seep away and now they were just focusing on the fight, wondering how Vertex actually managed to revive, let alone clone herself.

Caleb dodged a sword slash and noticed from the corner of his eye that Vertex did the exact same attack against his mother. Caleb saw how Vertex aimed a magic bolt at his mother and he himself was just in time to dodge the bolt Vexes threw at him.

*This doesn't make sense.* he thought. *Vertex was killed…But now two of them are fighting me and mom and both attack and move the same way.*

Caleb fired a bolt of magic from Blue Destiny, knocking Vexes down. He noticed that Vertex stopped moving, creating an opening for his mother, who blasted her with an electric bolt from the G-sword.

A faint memory came to Caleb. Something about Will studying her biology and him giving her questions about the things she had to learn. It then hit him.

'Mom! Vertex was a virus, remember?' he yelled at Nerissa, who looked surprised at him..

'And that means?' Nerissa asked confused, not letting her look wander from Vertex.

'That means that it can't die unless you destroy it completely. If something survives it can just replicate itself!' Caleb said, dodging a magic blast.

The magic blast rushed past him, scorching a bit of his armor off of his arm.

'And look at them! They do the same thing!'

Nerissa looked closely at the movements of Vertex and Vexes and she noticed as well that they moved exactly the same. She then grinned at Caleb.

'Well, that makes things easier than I thought!' she said. 'Let's drive them together!'

Both Nerissa and Caleb dodged attacks from Vertex and Vexes while trying to push the two villains at each other. Vertex and Vexes weren't planning to lose and gave their all to hit and injure Caleb or Nerissa. Nerissa got a lot of holes in her battle dress armor and some blood seeped out of a cut above her eyebrow. Caleb had received a beating, which was revealed by the cuts in his armor. His hair was a bit singed.

Vertex and Vexes were in the same state. Both had rips in their dresses, wearing no additional armor. Their hair was cut at random places and their eyebrows were singed. Both were walking limp, having broken their right legs. They were now standing back to back to each other with Nerissa and Caleb facing them.

'Ready Caleb?' Nerissa yelled as she focused her energy in the G-sword.

'Say the word!' Caleb replied, focusing the magic of Blue Destiny in the tip of the sword.

'NOW!' both yelled, releasing the magic from their swords.

The magic clashed with the viruses creating a big explosion and a big light. When the light diminished Caleb and Nerissa looked happily at each other only for their faces to assume a look of horror. Vertex and Vexes had disappeared. Instead a giant beast was standing at their spot. The beast had roughly Cedric's size and had two wolf like heads with the same poison green eyes as Vertex and Vexes. A green star was on both heads, which glowed eerily. It was hairy, yet scales were visible. It had several spikes on its back. The claws were big and the nails were as big as long swords. The teeth resembled javelins. It looked menacingly at Caleb and Nerissa before it roared in anger.

'Any new idea?' Caleb asked with a lopsided grin.

Nerissa replied with the same grin, though shock was evident in her eyes.

'Yeah. Duck!'

Angelo had heard the roar and he briefly looked aside. He was surprised to see yet another creature fighting for Hay-Lin. He wanted to go and help Nerissa and Caleb when he found his path blocked by a man with long platinum blond locks. Phobos smirked at him.

'Going somewhere, boy?' he sneered, blasting Angelo back with a wave of dark magic.

Angelo shot back but was caught by Joel. Orube and Natasha shot energy at him but Elyon raised a barrier, making the attacks bounce off harmlessly. Phobos then shot another ray of dark magic at Orube, who skillfully dodged it.

Joel shot at him, flying on his energy board. Again Elyon raised a barrier, forcing Joel to turn around. The barrier lowered and Phobos shot another bolt of magic, now directed at Joel. Joel dodged the bolt and shot back at Phobos. A new barrier blocked the attack.

'This is getting us nowhere!' Ehren said annoyed. 'Every time we try to attack, the Queen just blocks and Phobos attacks!'

'That's it!' Angelo said as he dodged a new attack from Phobos.

'What's it?' Edeline asked, using her telekinesis to push Phobos away, only to be blocked by another barrier.

'They are each other's opposites!' Angelo said. 'Elyon's magic is light, while Phobos' is dark. Elyon is female and Phobos is male and….'

'Phobos is offence while Elyon is defense!' Natasha yelled surprised.

'Bingo! So get over here, I've got a plan. Joel, can you block any coming attacks?' Angele said.

'Count on it!' Joel said, creating an energy blast and intercepting Phobos' attack.

On the other side of the battlefield, Cassidy, Mandy, Lilian, Napoleon and Chris were trying their best not to get squashed by Eric or Bess.

'I always liked the movie 'The Incredible Hulk' but now that I have to fight one, I'm seriously starting to feel sorry for the armies!' Cassidy yelled in shock after dodging a hammer punch again.

'Can't we break the enthrallment?' Lilian asked desperately.

'I tried to reach them telepathically!' Mandy said annoyed. 'I just get pushed back!'

'And the bracelet or necklace is too weak…' Cassidy cursed. 'Why does it always have to be so difficult?'

'AAH!'

Mandy's, Cassidy's and Lilian's attention was turned to something that chilled their blood.

'Chris!' Lilian cried scared as she watched how her boyfriend was being held by Eric.

Eric grinned stupidly and started to squeeze Chris, making him scream even more. Lilian cried out of anger and started shooting all her magic on Eric. Tha magic was joined by a cannonade of bullets. Cassidy saw how both Tom and Anna were shooting at Eric, trying to avoid to hit him at any fatal points. Eric yelled in pain, releasing Chris. Chris fell to the ground but Mandy quickly caught him and brought him to safety, healing his wounds. Tom and Anna rushed to their son until they were sure he would be okay. They then resumed their earlier fights with some of Hay-Lin's goons.

Napoleon was still busy wrestling Bess but was glad that his comrade was save. Due to the small distraction Bess had managed to flip him on her back and she propelled him through the air. Napoleon landed heavily on Cassidy, who moaned loudly.

'You should really lay off the tuna!' she groaned as she felt her sore ribs.

'You wanna fight the Hulk wannabe on your own?' Napoleon growled annoyed.

Bess roared at this moment and ran at the two of them. Cassidy quickly froze the ground beneath Bess, making her slip over it and shoot past them, knocking against a recovering Eric.

'Said something?' Cassidy said cocky.

Napoleon quickly pulled her away and again Bess shot past them and slipped on the ice, this time colliding with some of Hay-Lin's goons. Cassidy grinned appreciatively at Napoleon.

'I hope some tuna will be in order after this.' he purred.

'We'll see, okay?' Cassidy said with a grin.

She then froze Bess and the goons that lay under her.

'That's one down, one to go.' Cassidy said as she clasped her hands.

As she and Napoleon started to advance on Eric, who was still busy with Mandy and the now revived Chris, they heard the cracking of ice. Cassidy looked frightfully at Napoleon.

'Did you just hear?' Napoleon said.

'The breaking of ice? Oh yeah.' Cassidy said before turning around.

Bess broke effortlessly out of the ice and roared again at Cassidy and Napoleon. Napoleon hissed while Cassidy encased herself in ice, knowing this was going to hurt a lot.

Back to Nerissa and Caleb, they were ducking and dodging, now having more trouble with Vertex and Vexes than first. The monster attacked with stronger magic bolts and the claws could cleave through metal with ease. That was clearly shown when it killed a rebel that ran past it. And to make things worse, their attacks didn't seem to be capable of hurting it either.

'This is not good.' Nerissa muttered as she pushed Caleb out of the way of an attack.

'I know.' Caleb replied annoyed. 'Any ideas?'

'Except for the most obvious ones?' Nerissa said. 'Nope.'

She shot a blast of Quintessence at the beast but it bounced right off. The beast then roared at her, creating an air wave and blasting her backwards. Caleb countered by shooting another blast of magic. He accidentally hit the green star on one of its heads and the beast started to howl in pain. Caleb and Nerissa looked surprised at each other and an identical grin appeared on their faces.

'Every monster has a weak spot.' Nerissa said.

'And this one was so obvious that we didn't see it!' Caleb finished.

Both ran at the monster, which was still howling out of pain. When it looked again it saw Nerissa and Caleb jumping at it. It slashed at Nerissa, making her cry in pain but both kept continuing, despite the blood flowing from her side. Both Nerissa and Caleb yelled loudly as they both planted their swords in the stars on the two heads. They then forced as much magic through the swords as possible. Again a bright flash illuminated the battle field and Nerissa and Caleb felt the pressure of the beast disappear as a blast blew them away. When the light faded away, Vertex and Vexes were gone. Obliterated by the magic of Meridian and an ex-Guardian.

Nerissa fell down, going pale by the amount of blood she was losing. Caleb rushed to her, not wanting to see his mother die. Not after his father. He ripped some cloth of his shirt, which was already torn by an attack of Vertex, and bandaged his mother. While he was busy with bandaging his mother he felt a wave of pure magic washing over him. He noticed that everywhere rebels and villains looked at the fortress. Nerissa coughed some blood and grabbed Caleb's hand.

'I think this is not a good sign' she said.

Caleb looked a little worried at his mother as she tried to get up, but when Nerissa nodded grimly he just nodded. He looked up, wanting to retrieve their swords, only to find that their swords had been blown away with the blast. Nerissa pulled herself up and she and Caleb rushed to the battle field, pulling their guns out and pulling the swords out of the first bodies they found.

…

Irma was sick of waiting. Andrew and Gargoyle had been in a deadlock and normally Irma was all for a fair fight, but this was boring. Next to the fact that Taranee had been yelling for assistance for the last twenty minutes, so she was in a hurry. She sighed and focused her powers over water. She first shot a jet of water in Gargoyle's eye, making him wince and because of that, lose to Andrew's strength. She then froze the underground, letting Gargoyle and Andrew slip. Gargoyle fell backwards while Andrew fell on top of him, knocking him out. Irma blinked a couple of times before realizing what had happened. She cheered loudly before she let herself lower to Andrew's nose. She focused her mind controlling powers and forced Andrew to shrink to the height where he could think for himself.

Andrew looked a bit confused at Irma and picked her off his nose, placing her on his hand.

'Did we do it?' he asked.

Irma smiled big time at him and pointed downwards. Andrew looked down and grinned as well. Irma undid the ice and water reins.

'Thanks baby. You really helped us!' Andrew said.

Irma grinned at him before gesturing for him to lower his head. Irma jumped to his ear. She said something in his ear, making Andrew look surprised at her.

'Are you sure?' he asked.

Irma nodded.

'Someone needs to kick that girl's ass.' she said.

'Okay, just be careful.' Andrew said as he readied himself for Irma's plan.

'Aren't I always?'

…

Hay-Lin was bored. Somewhere she'd seen some kind of bright flash twice and some people fly around but it wasn't really funny. Taranee and Cornelia weren't really a challenge and she was actually just playing with them. She didn't want to destroy them yet…They had to see Will lay at her feet, broken and defeated, before she would kill them. There was no place for traitors in her eyes.

She raised her hand again, blocking another wave of fire balls and telekinetic blasts. She faked a yawn and threw a fierce gale at Taranee. If Cornelia hadn't grabbed her with her telekinesis then Taranee would have flown miles away.

'Is this all?' Hay-Lin mocked. 'And here I was, thinking that you guys would be capable of taking me down.'

Cornelia scowled at her and Hay-Lin's smirk only grew. These fools would never defeat her.

'You want power? You'll get it!' Cornelia scowled as she started to glow green.

Hay-Lin found herself interested and looked curiously at Cornelia. Was she really planning to do that? That would definitely mean their end. A sneer appeared on her face when Taranee interrupted.

'No! Wait! We have to wait.' she yelled at Cornelia, who stopped with glowing and sneered at Taranee.

'Wait? You do realize that we're getting our butts handed to us, do you?' Cornelia sneered.

Hay-Lin rolled her eyes. There was a reason why she enthralled her minions. She wasn't asking for their meaningless bicker. She shot a strong bolt of magic at them, knocking them back. Cornelia even coughed some blood. Hay-Lin smirked as she let herself disappear in the air. Cornelia and Taranee looked around, trying to spot her but it was futile. She was air.

She reappeared behind Cornelia and hit her in the back. She had air swirl around her hand and she easily penetrated Cornelia's side. She didn't want Cornelia to die…yet.

Cornelia yelled out in pain and before Taranee could reach her she used her magic to lift Taranee in the air. Taranee tried to shoot her measly fireballs at her but an air barrier stopped them easily. Hay-Lin noticed that Cornelia was healing behind her, but so what? It would only drain her.

Hay-Lin tossed Taranee around like a ball before making her crash in the floor. Now Taranee was spitting some blood.

'Had enough?' Hay-Lin said with a smirk.

But before either Taranee or Cornelia could answer, Hay-Lin heard something. It was the sound of something big shooting through the air. Another sound accompanied it and Hay-Lin started to growl.

'HAAAAAAY-HAAAAAAY!'

Hay-Lin turned around only to see a pillar of water ramming into her, with more force than she anticipated. She shot backwards, falling on her back when the force disappeared.

'Hehehe. Never thought that it would be so much fun.'

Hay-Lin scowled at the voice.

'Irma.' she said darkly as she got up and glared at her former best friend.

Irma bowed with a grin before shooting Taranee and Cornelia a concerned look. Her eyes then went back to Hay-Lin's.

'Already started to party?' she asked almost innocently.

'Sorry that I didn't invite you!' Hay-Lin said, shooting a wind slash at Irma.

It hit Irma only to fall apart in bits of water. Hay-Lin looked surprised and saw Irma helping Taranee up while Cornelia strode to them. Irma noticed her looking at them and grinned again.

'What? Don't you like my water clone? I thought she was swimmingly perfect!'

Hay-Lin rolled her eyes before her attention was caught by a power wave. The other three seemed to have noticed it as well, seeing that they were looking afraid at the fortress. Hay-Lin laughed maniacally, gaining the three's attention.

'It seems that my dear old grandmother has decided to put an end to Will. Too bad, I wanted the kill.'

Irma glared at her.

'How are you so sure? I bet Will was kicking her ass before she decided to do something desperate.' she retorted.

'It doesn't matter.' Hay-Lin said, not letting her smirk fall. 'She will die, one way or another.'

'Not if we can stop you first!' Taranee spat.

'And how are you planning to accomplish that? I can 3v1 you with my eyes closed!' Hay-Lin retorted.

Irma, Cornelia and Taranee smiled at that. Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow as they huddled together holding each other's hands while closing their eyes. What were they thinking? Did they really needed to pray to their God?

'God won't help you.' Hay-Lin sneered. 'He left this universe a long time ago.'

Hay-Lin's eyes widened as she saw that Taranee, Irma and Cornelia started glowing in their own respective colors. All three opened their eyes, revealing glowing blue, green and orange orbs of power.

'He never leaves those who believe.' they said simultaneously, an echo enforcing their statement.

They started to glow even more and Hay-Lin couldn't help but laugh. They were desperate. Stupid and desperate. Turning Zenith right in front of her! Once the transformation was done, the war would be over. She would just control their minds, like it was meant to be.

The light started to diminish and Hay-Lin smirked. Now instead of three fairly weak ex-Guardians were three powerful elementals standing in front of her. Hay-Lin laughed maniacally as she let the Heart of Dreadmore flash. The elementals didn't move and Hay-Lin ceased her laughing.

'Now that was the stupidest thing you three could have done. Now I control you AND this battle!' Hay-Lin said with glee.

Her triumph was short lived when the voices of Taranee, Cornelia and Irma echoed over their battlefield. Laughter. Hay-Lin raised an eyebrow out surprised while the three elementals started to move independently. Water moved her limbs, checking them out. Earth flipped her long tangled blond vine-like hair and Fire was 'looking' at her sisters.

'This is awesome!' Irma's voice echoed. 'Never thought we would manage.'

'Agreed.' Cornelia's voice echoed.

Hay-Lin fumed. She shot another attack at them. Fire moved and blocked the attack with a massive fire shield.

'How! Is! This! Possible!' Hay-Lin screamed, throwing an attack with every word.

Fire blocked every attack with a simple shield before letting it drop.

'Socializing with the real Oracle has its benefits.' Taranee's voice echoed.

Hay-Lin yelled in anger, releasing a new gale of wind. This time Water blocked it by absorbing the blast and falling apart in thousands of little drops. The drops reformed quickly and again a womanly stature floated in front of her.

'That was fun.' Irma's voice echoed.

Hay-Lin cursed under her breath as she dodged big pillars of water and fire. She should have known that they had another trick up their sleeves…They had been by Will's side for so long. She focused on the Hearts of Dreadmore and Zamballa, forcing them to give her more power. She could feel the power rushing through her veins and she smiled. She could see her own hands glow and even snickered at Irma's moan.

'Unfair! Power boosts are good guys only!'

'Let's see what's unfair!' Hay-Lin said, an echo hanging in her voice.

She unleashed a powerful blast, hitting the elementals. The elementals simply reformed though she could hear the moans of pain. No matter what, she would win!

…

Nigel and Uriah were still fighting. Uriah had tried to slice Nigel with his sword, while Nigel kept parrying, trying to find an opening to knock Uriah unconscious. Uriah slashed rather carelessly at Nigel, giving him the right moment to knock him down. Nigel kicked Uriah's sword away and placed one foot on top of the other hand, making Uriah scream.

'Sorry dude, but this has to end.' Nigel said gravely.

Uriah smirked at Nigel.

'Indeed.' he said.

His other hand went to his ear and he pressed on something.

'Get here!'

Nigel looked surprised at Uriah when suddenly a strong force knocked him off Uriah. Nigel staggered back up and saw an angel with dark wings and a golden mask flying next to Uriah. Nigel tried to keep it cool as he noticed how the angel started to near him.

'Matt.' he whispered shocked.

Matt kept closing in and his eyes started to glow eerie green. Nigel went to his own earpiece and pressed it as well.

'Help!' he yelled.

Nigel's eyes went again to Matt, fearing more and more for his life. Uriah laughed maniacally in the background. Nigel staggered backwards, until he tripped over his own feet.

'Who's the coward now?' Uriah yelled.

Matt's eyes glowed more intimidating and Nigel closed his eyes, hoping that it wouldn't hurt too much and wishing he could have had more time with Taranee. A roar was heard and the sound of something falling. Nigel opened his eyes to see a man with blue hair standing in front of him, helping him up.

'Ari! Dude, I'm happy to see you!' Nigel said happily.

Ari smiled at him.

'I see we arrived just in time.' he said.

Nigel heard the sound of clashing blades and Nigel looked past Ari. Maqi had engaged a fight with Uriah and he seemed to be capable of keeping up with Uriah. Nigel nodded gratefully as he and Ari took their weapons again and faced Matt, who was now speeding towards them and shooting beams of green magic.

…

'Got it?'

G.E.N.I.E. and Orube nodded. Joel was keeping any attacks away from them but he was getting tired.

'Joel! Pull back!' Angelo yelled.

Joel jumped back, letting Phobos and Elyon draw nearer.

'Getting tired so soon?' Phobos sneered, his hands crackling with dark magic.

He shot again at the group but Angelo threw two of his shields at him, causing Phobos to stagger and miss the attack. Elyon raised a protective barrier, even though it was too late. Angelo nodded at Ehren and Georgi, who snuck away. Natasha, Edeline, Ilana, Orube and Angelo started to shoot magic or shields at Phobos and Elyon, while the barrier kept bouncing the attacks away. Joel was catching his breath and started to see Angelo's plan.

'Sweet.' he said.

The barrier dropped when the group stopped their attacks. Phobos prepared his attack but suddenly ice started form rapidly on his body, halting his movements. He glared at the two kids that had snuck up behind him. Georgi and Ehren were shooting water and wind at him, trying to freeze him as quickly as possible without losing too much energy. Orube moved quickly and made a jump for his crown. Phobos smirked and forced his magic out of his body, breaking free from the ice and blowing Ehren, Georgi, Orube and Elyon away from him. Elyon quickly recovered and teletransported back next to him while Ehren and Georgi fell unconscious and Orube broke her arm.

'Shit! Missed.' Orube said annoyed, trying to ignore the pain in her arm.

Angelo's face contorted in annoyance and he quickly used his super speed to pull Georgi and Ehren to safety. Edeline, Ilana and Natasha rushed to them and quickly tried to shake them awake, fearing they would die if they stayed unconscious.

'Nice plan. You would have caught me if you were stronger.' Phobos snarled.

He again tried to attack but this time, bits of sand started to surround him. Phobos tried to blast himself free while Elyon tried to create a barrier to protect Phobos from the sand.

'What's this!' Phobos raged as he tried to get the sand away.

First everyone looked surprised at Edeline, who only raised her hands in defense.

'Don't look at me, I am not doing that!' she said.

The sand mass started to assume a form and Angelo whistled impressed.

'Sandpit! Never thought to see you in person!' he said.

The others looked surprised at him.

'You know the terrifying sandman?' Ehren asked surprised.

Angelo nodded.

'And so do you. Remember the stories Will and Taranee told you?' he said with a grin.

The girls' eyes widened surprised.

'That's Sandpit?' Ilana said surprised.

'This. Is. So. Cool!' Georgi said with a grin.

Sandpit kept Phobos and Elyon busy, but because Elyon kept creating barriers the gang couldn't reach Phobos' crown.

'We need to knock Elyon out!' Angelo said.

While he spoke he saw how Orube moved towards Elyon. Without a warning she whipped out her sword and whacked Elyon with the flat side of her sword. Elyon hadn't noticed Orube and fell to the ground, though she was still conscious.

While Orube was keeping Elyon busy the others tried again to steal Phobos' crown. This time Ehren managed to snatch the thing off of Phobos' head, only to find that it teletransported back the moment that she waved it through the air.

'Okay, that was totally unfair.' she muttered. 'Does he know how difficult this is?'

Phobos yelled angered and released a magic wave. Although it went through Sandpit without damaging it, but the magic reached them. Edeline, who had been flying in front of Natasha, received the biggest hit and fell down unconscious again. Natasha was quick to catch her and silently cursed herself. She'd promised Will to look after them.

_Flashback two days ago._

Natasha gulped. The day after tomorrow was the big fight. The final chapter. She had been worrying about it for the past two weeks, not showing it to the girls. But now, she couldn't sleep either. After much dubbing she decided to go to Will. Maybe she could help her. With that she'd jumped from her makeshift bed and walked to Will's tent. She didn't dare to enter and was standing outside the tent, shivering on her bare feet. She could hear voices, a male and a female. The voices died away quickly and out of nowhere the canvas was pushed aside. An annoyed Caleb was looking at Natasha and Natasha winced away. Caleb was only wearing his pants, though it didn't seem that the two of them had been…cozy.

'What are you doing out so late?' Caleb asked her.

Natasha looked surprised at Caleb. She'd thought he would be angry but instead he sounded concerned. Will quickly appeared next to him, wearing a nightgown. Her eyes were gentle and her hair was a bit ruffled.

'Can't sleep huh?' Will asked her with a loving smile. 'Come in.'

Natasha backed away, not feeling comfortable with going into the tent of the Oracle and Caleb.

'N-No! I…I mean, I don't want to interrupt anything!' she stammered, slowly getting red cheeks.

Will giggled at her antics while Caleb sighed a bit frustrated.

'Don't worry about that. We were just talking.' Will said reassuringly.

Natasha wasn't sure to enter but obliged as she saw how Will's eyes looked with concern at her. She walked timidly into the tent and noticed that the tent's size was back to normal. A rug was laying on the ground next to Will's bed and a chair was standing next to it. She felt Will's hand on her shoulder and looked up, seeing Will smiling tiredly at her. Will guided her to her bed, while Caleb sat himself in the chair. Will then sat on the rug and looked questioningly at Natasha.

'What's the problem?' Will asked her concerned.

Natasha swallowed a bit, not liking it that two pair eyes were focused on her. She fumbled a bit with her fingers before putting some of her long strands of hair behind her ear.

'I..I…I am scared for the battle.' she confessed annoyed.

She closed her eyes, feeling that she was getting angry at herself. A heavy hand fell on her shoulder and traced her face before tilting her head back up. She opened her eyes to look at Caleb. Will had moved from her spot on the rug and sat next to her.

'It's no sin to be scared, Natasha.' Caleb whispered to her. 'I would be scared if you weren't. I'm scared as well.'

Natasha knew something like this would be said, but it felt a bit reassuring. But they couldn't be as scared as she was. This was her first big battle. And she had no clue what to do.

'Yeah…But you guys know what to do.' Natasha said sadly, making Will and Caleb look at each other in surprise. 'The only thing I heard what I could do was that I could throw lightning at anyone who isn't on our side! It makes me feel so…so…'

'Helpless?' Will finished, making Natasha nod slowly.

Will caressed Natasha's hair softly.

'I know how that feels.' she said softly. 'But you can help out big time.'

'How?' Natasha asked a bit scared.

'By keeping the other four save.' Will replied. 'Your job as a leader is to keep your head cool, to keep the others on track of the mission and to protect your fellow Guardians. As long as you can do that, you'll be busy enough.'

'I-I know, but….' Natasha said.

'You won't screw up.'

Natasha looked surprised at Caleb. How could he have known what she was about to say? Caleb snickered when he saw her face.

'Will was the same. She didn't screw up, so you won't either.' he said reassuringly.

Natasha nodded slowly, feeling that she was getting more and more tired. She felt a hand pushing her back and saw how Will tuck her in.

'You can sleep here tonight.' she said. 'You need your sleep.'

Natasha felt how her eyes started to drop close and she could see the blurry shapes of Will and Caleb next to the bed, hugging each other. Natasha smiled.

'I'll protect them.' she murmured. 'I'll do my best.'

'And that's more than I can ask.' Will's voice said.

_End Flashback_

'Ehren, you drench the guy again. Joel and I will throw our energy at him while Georgi freezes him again. Angelo, you nick the crown just before Phobos is frozen!' Natasha ordered, gazing at Phobos who was still trying to stop Sandpit.

Edeline moved a bit in her arms and Natasha moved her a bit aside so she wouldn't be attacked.

Angelo and Joel were impressed by the plan and nodded alongside the others. Sandpit must have heard the plan as well, because when Ehren shot, he split open and let the water pass through. Joel and Natasha shot their energy at Phobos, both using the energy ball Joel once taught Natasha and Georgi shot an ice cold breeze at Phobos. Angelo used his super speed and grabbed the crown just before the wind hit Phobos. Phobos froze again, only this time he didn't break out.

G.E.N.I.E. breathed relieved but Angelo and Joel focused on Elyon. Elyon was, despite being knocked down twice, still on her feet and now shooting her magic at Orube. Orube dodged with cat like grace but winced when Elyon's magic grazed her. Angelo sighed as he and Joel ran at Elyon as well. Orube threw a dagger at Elyon, but the dagger was blocked by another barrier. When the barrier fell Joel shot a bolt at Elyon, knocking her back. Then Angelo charged at her and punched her with his strongest punch, finally knocking her lights out. Joel created energy bonds around Elyon, keeping her from moving if she would awake.

'Thank goodness that's over!' Joel said happily.

'It's far from over.' Angelo said grimly. 'I'll watch the Guardians, you guys go on!'

Orube and Joel nodded and ran into the battles, knocking Hay-Lin's henchmen down. Sandpit had followed them and was now swallowing people alive. Angelo watched over G.E.N.I.E. as they recovered and he together with them, followed his pals.

…

Caleb hacked again another men down, but he seemed to be replaced by more. He'd lost his mother somewhere in a battle, but he sure that she was still alive. He hacked another down and turned around, blocking a coming attack. His face paled when he saw who was standing in front of him.

'Aldarn? Drake?'

Aldarn was pressing his sword on Caleb's while Drake started to swipe at him. Caleb jumped away and the sword missed him by inches. Caleb cursed himself. How could he forget that Aldarn and Drake were still in Hay-Lin's control. More villains pushed forward and in the corner of his eye he saw a fold closing. So Hay-Lin too didn't come with her full force. Caleb blocked several attacks, most coming from Aldarn and Drake. Right when he was fearing for his own life a shout was heard. An African American man jumped in front of him and pushed Aldarn away. He shot Caleb a grin and Caleb noticed how a boy and girl, both of the same age and African American as well, rushing past him and slashing at other henchmen.

'Hey, thought you needed help.' the man said with a grin.

Caleb grinned back. He recognized the boy as Terry and the man as Leonas. A woman rushed past him and gave Aldarn a firm hit on his head, knocking him out.

'Great job Samantha!' Leonas yelled.

'Thanks! Sam's off in the other direction by the way!' Samantha yelled back.

'The reinforcements already?' Caleb asked surprised.

'Hay-Lin called hers as well. So Nigel called us.' Leonas explained.

Caleb nodded briefly before blocking Drake's sword. They fought silently while Caleb tried to keep himself from injuring Drake too much when another wave of magic flooded over them. Again, the rebels and villains looked at the fortress. This time the power felt like the elements. As if the five elements erupted inside the fortress. Caleb started to fear for Will's life. Was this her power? Or was it Yan-Lin? He turned around in time to dodge another slash, but a bullet hit him in his arm. He bit his tongue and slashed at Drake, slashing his hand and forcing Drake to let go of his sword. He had no time to worry about those things. He had to make it. For Meridian. For Earth. For Will.

_**[A/N] End of chapter! Big battle etc. etc. Also please note that Hay-Lin is NOT in Zenith mode. She has no clue how to do it. And that flashback…It was rather random but I thought it could fit in… Next chapter is the conclusion of the fight between Will and Yan-Lin. Stay tuned!**_

_**And review!**_


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

There were many ways to describe what Will was feeling. Pain, sorrow, regret. But the one emotion that conquered them all was hatred, anger. She breathed slowly, keeping herself under control as she watched how Yan-Lin stumbled up. She couldn't let her anger and regret cloud her, control her. She had to remain control. Control over her emotions and her powers.

Yan-Lin glared at her, spite visible in her face. Will sighed in annoyance. She never wanted this job to begin with. If it was up to her, she'd been on Earth or Metamoor. With Caleb. She shook those thoughts away as Yan Lin created a blade of air and a blade of fire.

The elements that had been surrounding Will started to twirl harder, almost beyond her control. She saw how Yan-Lin approached her, dodging blasts of any element Will threw at her. Yan-Lin had closed in and was in striking range. Will saw how the blades whipped through the air but she felt no fear. She willed the elements to protect her. Almost immediately earth shot up, stopping the sword of air while water doused Yan-Lin's other sword to nothing. Quintessence shot at Yan-Lin, forcing her back.

The elements kept twirling around her, forming almost an armor. Fire coated her arms, Earth her legs, Air her chest and Water her head. Quintessence formed two energy blades in her hands. Will knew Yan-Lin had seen her transformation and Will could feel how Yan-Lin was forcing the elements to do the same. A small smirk played on Will's lips as she saw how the elements were struggling to follow her order.

Air had formed weapons in Yan-Lin's hands, Fire and Water had tried the impossible, mixing, and created a Merefire chest plate. Quintessence and Earth enveloped Yan-Lin's legs but Will could feel the unwillingness in the elements.

Yan-Lin still seemed to think that the elements had no voice. That they were just things to control. She never understood that the elements had feelings, that not just quintessence, but all the elements were alive. Represented life. Guardians were supposed to represent these elements. Though Will started to suspect that Yan-Lin never seemed to get that part of her job. That she only sought the power behind it.

Quintessence crackled in her hands as she started to circle with Yan-Lin. Both kept their gazes on each other, not wanting to give the other a chance to find an opening. In the distance the rumble of the war was heard. A rush of feelings reached Will and she had to force herself not to be controlled by it. Hatred and grief ruled the battlefield. She never wanted to end things like this.

Yan-Lin had noticed her small moment of distraction, she opened attack with the Merefire. Will's eyes widened. She could not stop Merefire. It was not natural. She dodged the attack and she was sure she could hear the water and fire cry. This only angered her more and Will countered with a burst of lightning and air. The earth plate legs of Yan-Lin grew in a rapid movement and blocked the lightning. The air still managed to blast her a bit from her spot. That was all Will needed. She moved quickly and swiftly and raised her swords. Though before she could strike, Yan-Lin disappeared.

'You are blind.'

Will looked around, trying to pinpoint Yan-Lin as her voice echoed through the room. Out of nowhere hands of earth arose and grabbed Will, pulling her up. Lightning coursed through the hands and Will let out a shriek of pain. Even in her powered state, the lightning could hurt her when she was unprepared. Just before she could start absorb the energy, the quintessence attack subdued. Instead a fierce jolt of heat came from the stone hands. It was already terrible enough to feel the pain the elements were inflicting but she could also feel the pain the elements were feeling. The elements didn't want to be forced under someone's control. She could feel how they begged her to stop Yan-Lin from using them.

Will swallowed and tried to block the pleads out. She focused on her own magic and managed to open the two giant stone hands that held her. She created a shockwave, pulverizing the hands. She felt something stopping her shockwave and she moved swiftly at the place of the interception. She slashed her swords, hoping to have found Yan-Lin. Her hopes were rewarded as suddenly two air swords appeared to block her attack.

'You are slow.'

Will glared at Yan-Lin, who smirked back. Something was wrong. How could Yan-Lin still be capable of keeping up with her? She had more energy. The only thing Will had feared was that Yan-Lin had trained more, but she thought that Yan-Lin wouldn't train. That was apparently a mistake.

The swords clashed and clashed, without hitting the other. Yan-Lin parried Will's attacks while Will dodged Yan-Lin's. Suddenly Yan-Lin attacked, but twisted her hands lightly. A blast of Merefire accompanied the attack, making Will fall to the ground and losing her energy swords. Yan-Lin walked slowly at her, swords at the ready. Will still didn't feel any fear, emotions of pain and anger that weren't hers were overruling her. She struggled with controlling her emotions while staggering a bit back from Yan-Lin. Yan-Lin snickered softly.

'When you transformed, I thought it was over.' she said softly. 'But you were rash. You would be a great Oracle, if you had had more experience. Now everything you've worked for, the so called peace you've been fighting for since your first mission as Guardian, will all disappear into nothing.'

Will coughed a bit but her white bluish eyes glowed with defiance. A smirk even graced her face.

'You are pathetic. Say hello to Himerish and the other fools for me.' Yan-Lin finished.

She slashed at Will, but right before Yan-Lin could do more than cut Will's cheek Will moved at a speed Yan-Lin hadn't thought to be possible. The swords cut through the floor and Yan-Lin felt magic seeping in her neck. She turned around to see Will standing there, her elemental armor glowing brightly.

'Actually you can do that yourself!' Will said with a smirk, blasting Yan-Lin through a wall.

Will knew Yan-Lin would survive, the armor would be strong enough, but at least Yan-Lin missed her weapons. Will charged at Yan-Lin, punching her in the stomach. Yan-Lin gasped for air before grabbing Will's arm and pulling her over her shoulder. Will hit the ground so hard that bits of the floor loosened on impact. Yan-Lin charged her fists with magic and threw them at Will. Will rolled backwards and used her feet to throw Yan-Lin away. She got back up to see Yan-Lin approaching her. Will charged at her and both ended up in a deadlock, fist intertwined in one another. Both started to try to overpower the other while their armors tried to hurt the other. Will felt the pain in the Merefire but she gritted her teeth. She had to hold on. She had to pull through.

'You've gotten stronger.' Yan-Lin said in mock appreciation. 'Too bad it will be short lived!'

'Hit me with your best shot!' Will retorted.

Both started to channel their magic in their hands, still trying to overpower the other. The magic started to shine in their clasped hands while the two stared at each other in spite.

'You can't last forever child!' Yan-Lin bit at her as she poured more power through her hands.

'Funny, I was thinking the same about you, Oracle.' Will sneered back as she too started to pour more power.

And just when the two powers reached their peak an explosion ensued. The explosion blasted Will and Yan-Lin apart, making both of them a bit dazed. Will looked at her hands and noticed that they were smoking from the magic that had been flowing through it. She then locked her gaze back on Yan-Lin. Yan-Lin's hands were smoking a bit as well. Both shook the smoke of their hands and flung at each other.

'You're indeed a warrior.' Yan-Lin said as she dodged one of Will's kicks. 'Never thought you would pull that off.'

'I just love to surprise.' Will replied with a smirk.

Yan-Lin threw a punch at Will, but Will managed to intercept it and caught her fist. Yan-Lin bared her teeth in annoyance.

'Let me go, you twit.' Yan-Lin hissed.

'Make me.' Will provoked.

'Gladly!' Yan-Lin said as she threw another punch.

Will smirked and caught the other hand too.

'Gotcha.' she said.

She pulled Yan-Lin on her back and started to twirl around. She cursed herself when she felt how Yan-Lin's armor started to hurt her. She shouldn't have pulled Yan-Lin on her back. She tried to throw Yan-Lin away but now Yan-Lin grabbed her hands and pulled Will with her in the air. Yan-Lin's armor started to glow fiercely, the eerie green color of the Merefire shining the brightest. She pulled Will into the air and started to spin her in the air with a strength that should be impossible for a woman her age. She launched Will at the ground, but Will managed to stop her fall just in time. She stared up and blew some of her now longer strands of hair out of her face out of annoyance. She started to pour more power in her armor as well and charged at Yan-Lin. Yan-Lin charged as well and both elemental Oracles clashed with each other. The elements that were enveloping them started to destroy the other's armor. Will could feel how her natural elements were failing against the Merefire but she could also feel the pain of the elements of Yan-Lin's armor. It was hurting her…almost destroying her from the inside out. Will started to falter but she gritted her teeth. She poured more power in her armor, keeping it up.

Because of the sudden raise in power, Will and Yan-Lin shot back against the walls. They both landed on the ground and panted slightly. Yan-Lin wiped a small stream of blood away from her mouth as she glared at Will. Will panted and put some strands of hair behind her ear as her elemental armor fell apart.

'You child, have been a thorn in my side for way too long!' Yan-Lin spat. 'It's time to end this once and for all!'

'Then show me what you've got Oracle!' Will yelled back. 'We will end this!'

Both focused all of their power in their hands. Then without a warning they shot all they had at the other, knowing that this had to end. The two power sources collided with each other and a shockwave blasted the few fragile walls and pillars in the room away. The two beams of power struggled against each other, trying to overpower the other.

'I will not lose to a weak child!' Yan-Lin uttered in rage.

'Give it a rest!' Will yelled.

Yan-Lin and Will poured more power in their beams. Slowly but surely Will's beam started to push Yan-Lin's beam back. Yan-Lin gritted her teeth. There was no way that the child would win. She reabsorbed her armor and used that energy to power herself even more. Will's power seemed nothing in comparison with Yan-Lin's newfound power. Will felt a small fear creeping up. Yan-Lin's power was pushing harder and harder and stopped her attack to use her remaining power to form a shield, hoping she could reduce the damage.

The blast hit her and Will flew away. She felt how walls crumbled when her back hit them and she flew through so many rooms that she lost count of them. Finally she started to slow down and collided with one last wall. She fell forward on her face. Her whole body was screaming in pain. Her mind was screaming for her to get up. To fight.

*It can't end like this.* Will thought sadly as she tried to struggle up. *I can't waste my life here. There are too many people counting on me. I've dragged them in and I won't let them die!*

She heard Yan-Lin's footsteps nearing her. The slow pace was almost torture. As if she knew Will was still alive and only walked so slow to make Will feel more pain.

Will's mind went over all the people that had been caring for her. Taranee, who'd been placing her trust in her from the beginning. Cornelia and Irma, who after being dethralled joined her cause. Angelo, who lost his whole family and yet decided to fight. All her friends and their families. G.E.N.I.E… But most important. Caleb. It had taken her years to find the courage to tell him her feelings. She had to become Oracle and fight in a humungous war, only to find out that he felt the same way about her. And she had hoped to see him one more time. To kiss him once more.

Yan-Lin's steps pulled Will out of her train of thoughts as she tried to pull herself up. She used the wall as a support and slowly got up. She could feel the blood gushing from her arm and the ribs that were broken. She bit her tongue as she tried to look forward, but her vision blurred. Slowly she saw a figure appear. She knew it had to be Yan-Lin and Will breathed slowly and painfully.

*No! I have to fight! I have to win! If not, everything everyone worked for will go to ruin! God, please. I pray thee. Grant me the help I need.* Will thought desperately.

*_Better late than never, I always say.* _a female voice said.

_*Seriously! What took you so long Squirt?*_ a male voice said.

'Mom? Uncle John?' Will murmured confused.

'Already that far gone?' she heard Yan-Lin sneer. 'Seeing the dead already?'

_*I wouldn't say seeing.* _another female voice said.

_*Besides, Susan and John aren't the only ones!*_ an extra female voice said.

_*And ready to show Yannie whose boss!*_ A man's voice said.

Will then realized that the voices of her loved ones were in her head. A small smirk grazed her lips as she could hear Irma's comment if she ever told them this. "Crazy"

*_Kadma? Halinor? Grandpa Joe?*_ Will questioned.

_*We're all here, Oracle.*_

_*Himerish?*_ Will said even more confused.

Will saw how Yan-Lin had moved closer to her. She saw how Yan-Lin grabbed her by her collar and she felt how she was being pulled up in the air. Through her blurry sight she could see the triumphant smirk on Yan-Lin's face.

*_I guess I'll be joining you guys soon.*_ Will said sadly.

*_I never taught you to be a quitter, young lady!_* her mother's voice rang.

_*There isn't much time Will.*_ Himerish said urgently. *_We're here to give you the hidden power of Kandrakar. Power that Yan-Lin doesn't grasp. Power of the spirits of those who loved and cared about you were able to create for me, to pass on to you!*_

*_Do you really think it will help?*_ Will questioned.

*_That depends.*_ Halinor said.

*_Do you trust us?*_ Uncle John asked.

*_Yes.*_ Will replied.

*_And do you want to stop this senseless slaughter?*_ her mother asked.

*_Yes.*_ Will replied firmly.

*_Then it will._* Himerish said calmly. *_I only warn you, the elements will help you as well, but be careful. The elements have created a hatred that may consume you, Kandrakar and the whole universe. Stay focused.*_

*_I will._* Will answered. *_And guys, thanks. Thank you for everything._*

Will looked at Yan-Lin's face.

'Now to end you and free myself from the only one who could form a threat.' Yan-Lin said as her hand crackled with energy.

Will closed her eyes, not wanting to see where Yan-Lin was planning to hit her when suddenly a great force erupted in her. It was overflowing and she could feel how all the elements, how all the spare energy in Kandrakar, flew into her. Healing her. She felt how the power pushed Yan-Lin away, but she also felt the anger and hatred clouding her mind. She felt how the elements were trying to control her.

…

Yan-Lin shot backwards when Will emitted the strange power. How was it possible that the child still had so much power? Yan-Lin got up and forced some magic into her hands, planning on shooting it at Will before the power could spread more. She launched the bolt but it was reduced to nothing before it even hit Will. Yan-Lin felt a shiver of fear crawling over her spine. Will's eyes were now two purple orbs and Yan-Lin could see Will's veins, which were all glowing purple as well. Every wound Will had disappeared as Will floated a bit above the ground.

'Yan-Lin.'

Yan-Lin winced as Will's voice boomed with such force that it even made the walls shudder.

'You've brought a misbalance in the universe. You have wasted millions of innocent lives to get what you wanted. These misdeeds are too macabre to describe.' Will continued. 'Surrender now.'

Yan-Lin laughed loudly. She had no idea how this child could reach this power, but she wasn't born yesterday. She opened her last energy reserves and was now completely fueled. She blasted her energy at Will and to her happy surprise, she hit Will. Will recoiled a bit but stood tall. Yan-Lin continued with shooting and thought she was again gaining the upper hand, ignoring the level of Will's power, when suddenly a big power wave came from Will. The blasts disappeared.

'ENOUGH!' Will boomed. 'You have chosen your fate and yet again, you chose wrongly. Prepare for your end!'

Will started to brim with power and Yan-Lin started to tremble. Whole Kandrakar started to tremble and bricks fell from the ceiling. A massive beam was shot by Will and Yan-Lin tried to block it, only for the beam to smash her shield and blast her back. Yan-Lin shot at a speed that was hurting her and she felt how a force stopped her flight. She landed in the Congregation Room. The room where it all started. She even saw her cup of tea still standing there. She struggled up and she felt the tremendous power that was starting to shake Kandrakar. The power was suffocating her and only the crash of her cup of tea against the floor kept her conscious.

Out of nowhere two purple hands of magic shot at her and grabbed her roughly. The power shocked her and she felt herself falling in and out of consciousness. She managed to find her voice and decided to do something she never thought she would do.

'Please.'

Her voice sounded as broken as her body and she felt Will's presence drawing nearer. Will's face appeared in front of her and Yan-Lin felt how the cold sweat started to run over her face and spine as Will's pulsing eyes looked menacingly at her.

'You have the nerve to ask for mercy?'

Yan-Lin winced at the sound of the anger in Will's voice. She could hear something was off. It wasn't just Will's voice, but also…

'Kadma? Halinor? Joe? John?' Yan-Lin whimpered. 'My old friends. Help me.'

Will's hand clasped around Yan-Lin's throat and Yan-Lin felt how the magic and Will's own strength were busy suffocating her.

'How dare you use that word? You who doesn't know the true meaning of it?' Will threatened.

Kandrakar started to shake even more violently and Yan-Lin wheezed out her breath. Yan-Lin felt the fear increase.

'Prepare for your rightful end, Yan-Lin!' Will said threateningly as more magic started to pour out from her.

'Please.' Yan-Lin begged once more.

'NO!'

* * *

><p><strong><em>[AN] I'm an ass, I know. But admit, this was one kick butt fight! _**

**_My thanks go out to Lexvan and NotQuiteNorm for giving me some ideas for the fight! You two really helped a lot!_**

**_Also, you people should be happy that I'm sick or else this would have been updated next week or so… _**

**_And Merefire… it is only spoken of in one of the W.I.T.C.H. books but I thought it would be a good way to show the difference between Will and Yan-Lin. Yan-Lin forcing the elements while Will works together with them. It had a greenish color and well…As I said, the fire and water hate it to be mixed and are in 'pain'._**

**_Any questions? Ask away! And don't forget to review!_**


	28. Chapter 28

**_[A/N] There is a bill to censor everything that might imply copyright infringement! This could mean the end of Fanfiction(dot)net! We need to stop this! Go to stopcensorship(dot)org and sign! We need to stop this!_  
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**_Enjoy the chapter._  
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* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28<strong>

Nigel cursed loudly. Matt had one nasty aim! He dodged again and sighed happily when Ari jumped in for him. Finally he thought he could get some air. His focus had wandered twice when those shockwaves had come from the fortress. And he nearly lost his life those two times.

'Ashcroft!'

Nigel swallowed and felt dread going through his spine. He turned around just in time to feel a sharp wind pass his cheek. He fell how a small slash ripped his cheek open and how small trickles of blood dripped out. His eyes quickly focused on Uriah, who was holding his gun in is unbroken hand. Nigel pulled out his own guns, hoping he didn't need to use them.

'You thought you could get rid of me that easily?' Uriah sneered.

'What did you do to Maqi?' Nigel snapped.

'That boy? He got rammed by one of my colleagues.' Uriah said with a wicked smile. 'And now I will punish you for not only leaving my group but also for not joining the winning team!'

'Uriah, don't do anything you will regret.' Nigel warned.

Uriah snickered softly, but the sound was overruled by the noise the battles around them were making. Nigel felt a shiver running over his spine as Uriah's snicker changed to a maniacal laugh. What had Hay-Lin done to him?

Another shockwave, this time shaking a bit of Kandrakar with it. Nigel felt only more fear running to him while Uriah's eyes flickered with malice.

'Haha. Now this is fun.' he said.

Nigel raised his gun, no longer wanting to see his bud like this. He aimed for Uriah's shoulder but before he could pull the trigger he felt a pain in his knee, making him fall on the ground. He looked at it to find that his knee had been shot. Uriah's laughing rang in his ears.

'You're too slow Ashcroft.' Uriah sneered. 'Maybe that fire bitch of yours could have helped. Too bad she's about to be extinguished by Miss Lin.'

Nigel felt an anger rising in him as he looked with mixed spite and fear at Uriah. Uriah was looming over him, holding the gun pointed at his head. Nigel spat at his shoes.

'She won't lose!' Nigel said. 'We will win and you'll be sorry to ever doubt her!'

Uriah snickered again.

'Too bad that you won't be around to see it.' he said.

Nigel closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle. His thoughts wandered to Taranee and he hoped she would make it and that she wouldn't mourn too long over him. Suddenly he felt a body falling next to him and he opened his eyes. Uriah lay next to him, unconscious while another person was standing behind him. Nigel squinted his eyes before a smile graced his face.

'Martin! Great timing dude!' he said.

Martin smiled at him as he took some ropes from his backpack and started to bind Uriah. He then started to help Nigel up. Nigel used him as a walking stick and still grinned at the dude. Martin returned the grin as he used his other hand to shoot with his gun.

'Please tell me you didn't kill him.' Nigel said.

'Nah, just hit him with the back of my gun.' Martin said nonchalantly. 'But I had to admit, it felt good to get some payback for all those years ago.'

Nigel chuckled at that while he and Martin shot different people with their guns. Another shockwave coursed over the field and Nigel felt dread taking control over him. Things were going wrong. It had to be, whole Kandrakar was shaking. He looked worried at Martin who mirrored his look.

'We have to get to Taranee.' Nigel groaned.

Martin nodded fiercely and together they started to hurry to the fight between Hay-Lin, Taranee, Irma and Cornelia.

…

Things were going wrong. They had been fighting Hay-Lin in their elemental forms and Hay-Lin had powered up. She even managed to hurt them in their elemental forms. But the thing that worried Taranee the most were the shockwaves that came from the castle not too long ago. Two big waves of power had washed over the fields after the first two and she and Irma had felt that something was wrong. As if their elements were forced to do something impossible. Hay-Lin only seemed to grow in confidence and actually cackled with every power wave.

Taranee focused her gaze back on Hay-Lin, who was dodging Irma's water blast and Cornelia's vine-like hair. Taranee added some fire to it and Hay-Lin created a shield. A powerful gust was flung at them and Taranee let herself die out, only to appear from an explosion caused by a bomb. She unconsciously rubbed the spot where normally her ribs would be. Constantly reforming hurt a lot if you had to die out because of an attack.

'Hay-Lin! Let yourself be caught in Corny's hair! Than we can just settle this and get back to bed!' Irma moaned, shooting an ice blast.

'Sorry Irma! I'm afraid you have to postpone your beauty sleep!' Hay-Lin sneered back, blowing Irma again to pieces.

Irma reformed again and Taranee was sure that she felt the same pain as she did every time she reformed.

'I think I'm going to be sick.' she heard Irma mumble. 'I wonder what I would puke… Water? Acid? Tar?'

Taranee rolled her eyes. Leave it to Irma to wonder such a thing during a fight. A small flicker in power caught her attention. She glanced shortly at the fortress before turning her attention back to Hay-Lin. Suddenly her vision blurred. She clutched her head and moaned softly. This wasn't supposed to happen, not in Zenith. She closed her eyes in the hope of shaking the wooziness away. When she opened them again she felt a surge of anger and hatred going through her as she looked right into Yan-Lin's eyes. Yan-Lin looked younger than normal and she was smirking as she held Taranee up at her collar.

Just like that, the image was gone and Taranee looked again at the battlefield. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had that experience. Irma, Cornelia and Hay-Lin were clutching their heads as well.

'I'm tripping!' Irma said dazed.

'What kind of trick is this?' Hay-Lin demanded.

'A trick we don't know off.' Cornelia bit back.

Hay-Lin glared angrily at them and Taranee felt how her anger, along with her powers, were increasing. She felt how her humanity started to slip away and in her mind she grabbed onto Irma and Cornelia, hoping to anchor herself to the only two who were in the same state as she was. She felt how their grip on her increased while she saw how their forms started to change. Becoming bigger, stronger, angrier.

Hay-Lin herself was also changing, though not so obvious. A grey aura glowed around her, slowly becoming stronger.

Taranee felt something pulling on her, As if someone or something tried to absorb her, use her. She struggled. She didn't want to lose her individuality again. The fire of which she was a part of, started to burn harder. She felt how she, the fire, was being pulled. Pulled to the fortress. Every fiber of her normally human being started to fight it, not wanting to go. She could hear the others moan, Hay-Lin even screamed in pain. And then, without a warning, she felt human again. She fell to the ground and felt how the warmth left her and how now only the meager Auramere of fire warmed her.

She looked around her and noticed that, just like her, Irma and Cornelia had turned back to their human forms. Hay-Lin wasn't powered up as before and all of them were panting. Taranee wiped the sweat that was rolling from her forehead away while Irma straightened her back.

'Man. What happened! I mean, this was nuts!' Irma said.

'I don't know…It felt as if I was angry…At someone…And I was almost absorbed by some power.' Cornelia said trembling.

Hay-Lin glared at them after looking at herself.

'What did you do!' she demanded.

'We'll call you if we know!' Irma retorted annoyed.

'I demand an answer!' Hay-Lin yelled, almost sounding panicked. 'Now!'

A strong gale swept over the fields as she shot a greenish beam of magic at Irma. Cornelia had acted quickly by pulling Irma away with her telekinesis. Irma, while being pulled by Cornelia, reacted with a water blast. Hay-Lin simply created a shield and the attack was rendered harmless.

Taranee wanted to counter the shield with an attack of her own when suddenly whole Kandrakar started to tremble. Taranee stopped her would be attack and looked worried at the castle. Bits of the walls started to fall as a power started to push.

'What the?'

Taranee looked aside to see Irma looking surprised at her arm, which had turned into water again. Taranee felt the heat in her feet and looked down, seeing that her legs had turned into fire. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared again. She saw how rebels charged Hay-Lin's men and suddenly disappeared, only to appear on the other side of Hay-Lin's men.

'What's happening?' Hay-Lin yelled frustrated.

Her stomach had changed to air and back again and a dread seemed to fill her.

'I think there is some power that's disrupting Kandrakar and its reality.' Taranee said. 'The same power that had been pulling our powers before.'

'Then I'll finish this and go to the fortress.' Hay-Lin said and blasted again some magic at them.

Cornelia blocked the attack and was slightly thrown back. Taranee watched how Irma and Cornelia threw their magic at Hay-Lin while Hay-Lin retaliated. This was bringing them nowhere and the unknown power that was busy destroying Kandrakar. Taranee had known that if the Zenith plan was a bust that they had to fall back on their weapons, but she knew that it was either dodging Hay-Lin and trying to hit her with their magic, what didn't seem to work or creating swords with their magic while Taranee herself would shoot with her guns. She sighed heavily as she pulled her guns out.

Irma and Cornelia had seen what she did and both pulled out their weapons. Irma held on to two sword hilts, creating ice scimitars as well as coating herself in ice while Cornelia grabbed a small rock of one of the strongest material of Meridian that she had in her pocket and coated herself with it, changing her hands into a shield and a sword.

Hay-Lin had laughed joylessly when she'd seen what they'd done.

'Seriously?' she mocked. 'You've got all the power, are higher than measly humans and you resort to those weapons?'

When none of the women answered she scowled. The trembling had started to lessen and now none of them were changing in or out off their elements. She created two air swords and pulled a shield up to block the bullets.

'So be it.' Hay-Lin said. 'Let's see what you've got!'

'I rush in.' Irma said.

'I'll follow.' Cornelia answered.

'And I'll cover.' Taranee said.

Immediately Irma shot at Hay-Lin. Taranee started shooting, adding fire to the bullets, heating them considerably while Cornelia charged in after Irma. Hay-Lin parried the swords with ease while Taranee's bullets were easily deflected. She slashed heavily at Irma but Cornelia jumped in to block the attack with her shield. Irma came from behind the shield and slashed at Hay-Lin, only to be blown back by a strong wind. Out of nowhere Taranee appeared with two small fire knives. Hay-Lin's eyes widened in shock but Taranee's knives slashed through air as Hay-Lin teletransported away. She appeared right behind them and blasted them with a strong bolt of magic.

Taranee, Irma and Cornelia landed on their backs, Irma's ice coat being shattered while Cornelia's stone coating was cracked. Taranee was worse off. She was burnt on her arms and legs while she was sure some of her ribs had cracked. Cornelia saw the state Taranee was in and rushed to her, wanting to heal her wounds a little. Taranee stopped Cornelia as she pushed herself up, biting her tongue not to scream in pain.

'No.' she said shakingly. 'You need your power.'

'But T.' Cornelia said.

Taranee shook her head. Irma hurried to Cornelia and Taranee and casted a nervous look on Taranee. She then caught Cornelia's eye and nodded.

'Let's take our last stand.' she said.

Cornelia nodded and together they stood in front of Taranee, protecting their friend from Hay-Lin.

…

Hay-Lin laughed again, slowly walking to her victims. She would win. It had been foretold. Her old friends wouldn't stop her, just like Will wouldn't stop her grandmother. She stopped walking when she was near enough to jump and kill Taranee. She only laughed louder when she saw that Irma, who had again coated herself with a layer of ice, and Cornelia, who had repaired her own armor, had taken a stance in front of Taranee.

'Give up.' Hay-Lin said. 'And I'll make your death quick and almost painless.'

'I swear, when this is over I'm going to ask a refund.' Irma said annoyed. 'Cause if I got a nickel for every time a villain said something like this, I would be rich.'

Hay-Lin grinned with Irma.

'Hahaha.' she said. 'It's nice to know that you won't lose your jokes, even when you are about to die.'

Irma shrugged.

'Ah, what's in a girl stays in a girl.' she said.

Hay-Lin smirked as she raised her arm. She willed the air to twirl around her arm and fueled the force with the power of her two hearts. Irma and Cornelia both formed shield, one of ice and one of stone. How pointless would they be.

'Farewell. Friends.' Hay-Lin sneered as she lowered her arm.

Right then a force hit her in her side, throwing her away from her former friends.

'Not today, Hay-Lin!'

Hay-Lin growled at her own stupidity. Why had she lowered her shield? She got up and glared at a way too familiar African American man who was now busy healing Taranee, who smiled appreciatively at him. Next to Irma and Cornelia were now the five "new" Guardians. Ha. She would rip those wings off. How dare they smudge the name of Guardian?

'Angelo, what a pleasant surprise.' Hay-Lin sneered. 'And I see you brought Tinker Bell and her friends with you.'

The Guardians seemed to take her comment harshly as the apparent new Water "Guardian" yelled at her.

'I'm sorry Miss Almighty! Let's see if you've got such a big mouth when we kick it!'

Hay-Lin raised her eyebrow as the new leader grabbed the Water "Guardian's" sleeve.

'Ehren. First win, than gloat.' she scolded.

'Oh this is rich!' Hay-Lin laughed. 'How are you going to defeat me with just five pixies who can barely fly, one sloppy Warrior and three half broken Guardians?'

'Again with the pixie comment!' she heard "Ehren" mutter.

Angelo, Taranee, Cornelia and Irma seemed to see that there was no way for them to win. That they had started a lost battle. Hay-Lin smirked as she charged her hand with raw magic. One strong attack would kill them all.

Just before she would attack something caught her attention. she quickly jumped back, dodging a small bolt of electricity and looked aside, seeing Nerissa standing there with a sword. Nerissa panted a bit but straightened her face as she held her sword. Hay-Lin noted a bloody spot on her side, making her smirk.

'One step closer and you're roast!' Nerissa threatened.

'Oh? What's this?' Hay-Lin said with faint surprise. 'Nerissa? Can you remember how we kicked your butt years ago? Then you must know how well I can kick it now.'

Nerissa smirked.

'If I remember correctly, I nearly broke your spirit and it was Will who made the plans.'

Hay-Lin seethed with anger. How dared she use that name? Hay-Lin flung a bolt of magic at Nerissa but before it could hit her, Nerissa disappeared. Hay-Lin followed the traces in the air and saw how Nerissa was sitting on an energy board. She huffed. No matter how many there would come, they would die.

'I don't care how many of you come, you will fall.' Hay-Lin said as she prepared another attack.

'They're not alone!'

A huff of annoyance escaped Hay-Lin's lips as she turned around, seeing Orube, Marcus and Malcolm, a young African American boy and a African American girl of the same age, Martin, Nigel and Andrew standing around her. Taranee was nursed enough to be able to stand on her own and now all of them had trapped Hay-Lin.

Hay-Lin pulled more power from the Hearts, fueling her enough to withstand any attacks these losers could shoot.

'I take we're here to party.' she said leisurely as she let herself be lift up by the air itself. 'Let's make it one killer party.'

She shot a beam of raw magic at Taranee, Cornelia, Irma, Angelo and the "Guardians", hoping to destroy them first. They however dodged the blast and regrouped with the others.

'Every villain has his lame quotes, don't they?' she heard Irma say.

Right then another wave came from the fortress, destroying the orange barrier that had been surrounding it from the start. When Hay-Lin saw that the barrier was destroyed she wanted to laugh. It could only mean that Will had lost, but when the wave hit her a feeling of dread fueled her. That was not her grandmother's energy she felt. The others must have felt it too because she could hear several cheers from everywhere on the battlefield.

'You felt it too, right?'

She looked down, seeing Angelo smirking at her.

'It's over Hay-Lin!' he yelled. 'You lost!'

Hay-Lin felt how her anger was reaching its peaks. She barely noticed how dark clouds were packing above her and how rain streamed down on them, washing away any bloodstains and making dead bodies disappear. Tears of hate and pain welled up and she launched one final attack at Angelo.

Angelo hadn't counted on the attack and was struck in the right side of his chest, penetrating it. Angelo fell to the ground and Hay-Lin let out a maniacal laughter as Cornelia hurried to him.

'NO! Angelo!'

Hay-Lin saw how tears ran down Cornelia's face as she tried to heal him but in seconds he disappeared, his dead body being washed away with the rain. Cornelia yelled in pain and anger and rushed past everyone, charging Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin lowered herself and took a stance, ready to send Cornelia after Angelo.

'STOP!'

Cornelia halted as a shiver ran over Hay-Lin's spine. That voice. It couldn't be. She turned around and saw Will approaching them. She was dressed in a karate like kimono, the jacket being longer, hitting the ground while a green shawl was bound around her waist. The hem was decorated with the black symbols of the elements and the sign of the Hart of Kandrakar was neatly visible on the left side of the jacket as well as on her head. There were no wounds or bruises.

A new wave of anger filled Hay-Lin. This meant that Will had done it. She had killed her whole family. Will walked calmly at them and Hay-Lin yelled in rage. She created a new attack, again fueled by the two Hearts when suddenly the attack disappeared. She felt how her powers diminished and she grabbed for the Heart of Dreadmore, only to find that it was gone. She glared in rage at Will, who kept looking calmly at her.

'Where is it! You can't take a Heart if it's not given! Not even you can!' she demanded.

Will smiled serenely at her.

'I never took a Heart.' she said. 'But in the past you gave someone the key to stop you.'

Hay-Lin glared angrily at Will, not knowing what she said.

'Don't come to me with that kind of crap!' she said. 'Where is it!'

'Here'

Hay-Lin smirked when she heard the voice. She turned around and saw Eric and Bess standing in the crowd that surrounded her. Bess was carrying Napoleon while Eric showed Hay-Lin the Heart of Dreadmore, which he held around one finger. Her smirk fell when she noticed that the enthrallment that had been on Eric for so long had disappeared. The look of rage, regret and pity told her enough.

'How could you get the Heart?' Hay-Lin spat. 'You are not magical. You're nothing more than a…'

'Slave?' Eric cut her off. 'Yeah, you forgot one thing. Years ago at Shell beach. Remember?'

At first Hay-Lin didn't know what he was talking about when suddenly a memory hit her.

_Flashback_

Eric and Hay-Lin were sitting at the beach and were looking happily at the sunset. Eric had his hand around Hay-Lin's waist and both smiled as they kissed each other.

'Will will leave next week.'

Hay-Lin had said it quietly but Eric knew it was hard. He had never known why Hay-Lin idolized Will but he was glad Will saw his girl as a good friend. He hugged her a bit closer.

'She will be back in no time.' he said reassuringly. 'Don't worry.'

Hay-Lin sighed a bit sad. He didn't like it to see her sad. It didn't seem natural.

'I just wish she stayed.' she mumbled.

Eric kissed her on the lips, trying to get her mind of said topic.

'You will have me, don't forget that.' he said.

'Eric…You are a great guy, you know that?' she said to him.

Eric smiled a bit while a blush crept up.

'Thanks.' he said.

'You will always hold my heart.' Hay-Lin said, pecking him on the cheek.

'And I will always protect it.' Eric replied, kissing Hay-Lin again on her lips.

Both kept kissing, slightly forgetting that they had gone to the beach to see the sunset. As the sun went down the two separated, smiling at each other.

_End Flashback_

Hay-Lin's eyes widened. She had never thought that that sentence would be so significant. Her own stupidity had let to her own end.

'Love is an interesting thing, isn't it?' she heard Will say behind her.

Hay-Lin turned around, glaring daggers at Will. She had planned all of this. She had known this would happen. Hay-Lin felt how her mind fellinto chaos, only one thought remained.

"Attack. Will."

Hay-Lin yelled in frustration and jumped at Will, meaning to end it all. She saw the pain, regret and sorrow in Will eyes when Will raised her hand. Suddenly darkness seemed to swallow her and she started falling. She lost. She lost everything. Again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>[AN} Finally! The battle is over! To be honest, I thought this would be a short chapter…Apparently not. And did I just kill Angelo? I think I did… Oops… Or maybe I didn't… I know :P And now you maybe know what Will "did" to Hay-Lin...or maybe not. Though now it's almost painfully obvious, isn't it?**_

_**The Heart idea about Eric and Hay-Lin was a great idea from my real life friend Bloodprince1234 (who is also writing a great crossover fic of Avatar and WITCH) and yeah… I've got testweek so when I'm not studying I'm writing, cool huh?**_

_**Now be all nice and review!**_


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

A silence ruled the plains. The shockwave that had undone the enthrallment had also tied all the villains up. Everyone was staring at Will and the place where Hay-Lin had disappeared. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining on the rebels. Will looked with pain in her heart at the battered and bruised rebels. They had suffered for so long and the fight they just went through wasn't an easy one. Her eyes wandered past the many sad yet happy faces when her gaze settled on Cornelia. Cornelia's shoulders were shocking while small sobs started to interrupt the silence. Will stepped forward and the movement seemed to catch Cornelia's attention. She looked up with a tearstained face, her eyes showing blame.

'Why didn't you show up sooner?'

The question was full of hurt, pain and slight anger. Will knew that this anger was supposed to be for Hay-Lin and wasn't fazed by the emotion, though she held her hands up in defense.

'Cornelia…' she started.

'Answer me!' Cornelia demanded. 'If you had showed up sooner Hay-Lin wouldn't…She wouldn't…Angelo wouldn't be…'

Cornelia stopped herself as new sobs broke from her throat. Irma placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, only for Cornelia to shake it off. Cornelia fixed her gaze back on Will, who kept her calm aura.

'I could have saved him, Will.' she said pleadingly.

Will sighed and slowly shook her head.

'Yes, you could have saved him.' she admitted. 'At the cost of your own life. You know, as well as I do, that you would have used all of your energy, killing yourself in the process of saving Angelo.'

Cornelia casted her face down again, tears rolling over her cheeks in an uncontrollable stream of water. Will took a step forward and gently pushed her chin up, forcing Cornelia to look in her eyes. Will saw the pain Cornelia was feeling, making her glad that she had acted quickly.

'That's why the rain does more than just wash the bodies and blood away.' she said gently, seeing hope spark in Cornelia's eyes. 'Everyone who is lethally wounded gets transported to the healing chambers. Angelo is alive, Cornelia. He just needs some rest.'

Will watched as Cornelia's eyes widened in happiness and rushed to hug Will. Will smiled as she accepted the hug and felt how Cornelia's feelings bursted out, happiness overflowing her.

'He's fine people! Angelo's alive!' Irma yelled.

People started to cheer, feeling happy that Angelo was going to make it. Irma created an ice cone and Will rolled her eyes unnoticeably at what Irma was planning.

'The war is over people!' she yelled loudly. 'We won!'

Now everywhere in Kandrakar started to cheer. Bullets were shot in the air out of happiness and people threw their weapons down. The Guardians flew high and Ilana even made some small fireworks. Friends and families sought each other and hugged each other, feeling glad that their loved ones were alive.

Cornelia had broken her hug with Will and was now hugging her family, just like Irma. Taranee had found Nigel and hugged and kissed him while Caleb had managed to break through the crowds only to find his mother. He hugged her close but Will felt how his eyes moved to find her. He found them and he looked with sadness at her, knowing that they couldn't be together now. Will smiled sadly as she turned her back to the crowds. There was one more thing to establish her reign as Oracle. She waved her hands at the fortress and willed it to change its shape. Every Oracle changed the fortress after his or her own vision and Will had the perfect idea.

…

The noise started to ebb away as the people felt the ground shaking again. They looked at the Oracle and saw how she focused on the fortress. The fortress started to change shape. In a blink of an eye the fortress was no longer a castle. It now resembled the Taj Mahal only completely white. Walls arose around the fortress in a rapid movement. The wall that arose right in front of the Oracle was completely red with the symbol of fire on it. The Oracle turned back with a gentle smile on her face and gestured to a swirling purple portal.

'Let's enter the fortress, shall we?' she said.

…

Caleb looked in awe at the new fortress. Was Will going to live here? Was this the new Kandrakar? He felt a short tug on his sleeve and saw his mother pointing at something behind him. He turned around and saw Elyon and Phobos laying on the ground. Phobos was completely wet while Elyon had some nasty bruises.

'We need to help them.' his mother said.

Caleb grimaced. Did he really have to help Phobos? He bet that Phobos probably bargained more power with Hay-Lin.

His mother must have seen his repulsion to said idea and smiled sadly at him.

'He's as much of a victim in this war as you and me.' she said.

Caleb sneered, still having trouble thinking that Phobos could be innocent, this time.

'She's right.'

Caleb turned around and saw Will looking sadly at him. Her eyes wandered to Nerissa, who was trying to pick Phobos from the ground. Caleb now too looked with worry at his mother.

'Phobos never chose to follow Hay-Lin.' Will said softly. 'He lost people he cared about as well, in a way that's nearly as cruel as how he used to act.'

Caleb raised an eyebrow, still not wanting to believe it, but he rushed to help his mother when Nerissa groaned under the strain. He placed his own shoulder under Phobos' arm, looking worried at his mother. Nerissa caught his look and smiled reassuringly at him. She had had worse after all.

Caleb and Nerissa started to walk slowly to the portal. Caleb looked back one more time and saw how Will asked Marcus to bring Elyon. Caleb noticed that more people were helping unconscious men and women to the portal. Silently he wondered what had happened to Drake and Aldarn, seeing that he evaded them, not wanting to hurt them anymore.

He also saw the Zamballans. They didn't walk to the portal Will had created but to a fold. Will was now standing next to said fold and healed every Zamballan before it went through the fold. Caleb presumed that the fold would lead to Zamballa.

Caleb took more weight of Phobos on him, to lighten Nerissa's load and together with his mother he went through the portal. A welcoming breeze ruffled through his hair while he looked in awe at the place where they had landed. There were trees and grass. A small pond laid half in the shadows and some butterflies flew lazily over the grass and flowers while some birds chirped happily. At first he thought he'd entered the wrong portal but then he saw a door in the middle of two big trees. The door was brilliantly decorated and as white as snow.

His mother started pulling and Caleb quickly followed, heaving Phobos with them. They laid him against a tree and Nerissa went to sit next to him.

'Mom?' Caleb asked concerned.

Nerissa waved his concern away, though she placed her hand on her side.

'No worries. I'm just exhausted.' she said.

Caleb only raised an eyebrow but nodded. People started to cheer and he looked up. Will had stepped through the portal and was now smiling at the rebels. No, people. They were no longer rebels, but free people. Will ushered for silence and it quickly fell.

'We've fought a long and hard fight.' she said in a grave tone. 'Many lives were lost, yet many new bonds were created. Those who have fallen today, will not be forgotten. Their bodies are all laying in a separate space. This door.'

A door appeared on her left hand.

'Will lead you to that room.' she continued. 'They've fought hard and unfortunately died before my reign as Oracle. They are now with our Father.'

A silence ruled the forest, even the birds didn't make a sound. Some people started to walk to the door, hoping with their hearts that none of the people they knew were laying there. Will held the silence up for some time before continuing.

'But there is still some unfinished business.' she said, her voice easily reaching the most distant trees.

Folds opened everywhere and Caleb felt how his whole body screamed for him to react, to stand guard. He grabbed for his sword and went into a fighting stance, just like many others. He saw some trolls channeling magic while the Guardians took the air again.

'Stop. These are no enemies.' Will said calmly.

Out of the folds people appeared. Some were old while others seemed young. People from Minus, Meridian, Arkhanta and more planets Caleb never heard off came from the folds and all walked to Will.

'Hail the Oracle!' the new people chorused as they bowed for her.

Will nodded calmly and gestured to the big white door that Caleb had noticed before. They all walked through it and whispers started to roam the forest.

'What's he doing here?' Caleb heard a man from Minus squeak.

'Maybe he's sent for the Council?' Another proposed.

Council? Had Will managed to create a new Council? When? How?

He was shocked out of his thoughts when Will spoke again, easily audible over the whispers.

'Orube of Basiliade, could you please come forward?'

The whispers seemed to stop again and Caleb saw how Orube was slowly walking to Will. She bowed in front of her.

'Oracle?' she said.

'Give me your arm.'

Orube looked up in surprise but then held her broken arm away.

'No. You shouldn't bother yourself with that.' Orube protested.

Will ignored the protest and gently took Orube's arm. A soft glow emitted from her hand and in seconds Orube started to flex her fingers. Her arm was healed. Before Orube could say a thing Will turned around to the doors.

'Now follow me, if you please.' she said gently.

Orube nodded and followed Will. Just before Will entered the doors she turned around one more time.

'It would be better if you rest here.' she said.

With that she and Orube walked through the door, which closed right behind them.

Caleb looked blankly at the door when he heard an irritated sigh. He looked aside and saw Irma shaking her head, Andrew standing right next to her with his arm wrapped around her.

'She's not even Oracle for five whole minutes and she still manages to talk as if she has been one from birth!' Irma said slightly annoyed.

'See it like this. At least she knows what to do.' Andrew said.

Caleb smiled a bit as he watched the couple share their moment together. He started walking through the forest. Everywhere he saw people gathering. Some were crying, others were hugging. His eyes wandered over the many rebels when he saw two he thought he had lost.

'Drake! Aldarn!' he whispered loudly.

He rushed to one of the trees. Aldarn and Drake were sitting against it, both still unconscious. When he arrived he started to shake them lightly. Slowly both started to regain consciousness as Aldarn opened his eyes and Drake clutched his head.

'Ow…What hit me?' Aldarn moaned before his eyes snapped open. 'Hay-Lin! Shit!'

He started to look around him, fear seeming to fill his being. He saw Drake and started shaking him.

'Drake! Get up! We need to get away!'

Drake moaned loudly before his eyes snapped open as well. He seemed as scared as Aldarn and both stumbled to their feet, trying to get away. Caleb quickly placed his hands against their shoulders, hoping to make them calm down.

'Guys!' Caleb said.

Both focused on Caleb and seemed to relax slightly when they saw him. Aldarn grabbed his shoulders frantically and started shaking him. Caleb smiled, happy that he got his friends back.

'Caleb! Hay-Lin's evil!' Aldarn said scared. 'She…She hunted us down!'

Caleb stopped Aldarn from shaking him, still smiling fondly at his friends. he placed his hands on Aldarn's shoulders.

'I know.' he said. 'She'd enthralled you for nearly four years.'

Drake and Aldarn looked surprised at Caleb.

'How come you're so calm?' Drake asked.

'We're in Kandrakar.' Caleb said. 'We're save.'

Aldarn and Drake looked scared at each other and Aldarn started to shake Caleb again. Caleb was silently wondering why he had missed Aldarn.

'Are you stupid! Kandrakar is ruled by Yan-Lin! We need to get away from here!' Aldarn said.

At this Caleb started laughing. Drake and Aldarn looked confused at each other and Caleb. Caleb loosened himself from Aldarn's grip.

'Don't worry.' he said. 'Those times are over. We won. Kandrakar has a new Oracle now.'

Drake and Aldarn relaxed and smiled at Caleb. Now they also looked around, seeing a variety of people sitting together and smiling.

'Who's the new Oracle?' Drake asked.

Caleb's smile fell as he looked a bit away.

'Will Vandom.' he said a little depressed.

Drake and Aldarn looked surprised at him.

'The Guardian Leader?' Aldarn said impressed.

Caleb nodded grimly. Drake raised an eyebrow as he looked at Caleb.

'I know that look.' he said with a smirk. 'Don't tell me… You are!'

Caleb glared at him while Aldarn looked between Drake and Caleb.

'What?' he asked. 'What?'

'Caleb fell in love with the new Oracle!' Drake said with a hint of a laughter in his voice.

Aldarn's eyes widened and smiled big time when he saw that Caleb didn't bother to deny it. He laughed goodheartedly and patted him on the back.

'Now that's bad luck.' he said. 'But you always looked for a challenge.'

Drake laughed with that and Caleb glared at his two friends.

'Great, you guys are back for a couple of minutes and I'm already the laughing stock.' he said.

Suddenly he got tackled from the back. He fell to the ground and heard some giggling. Caleb managed to turn around and he looked right in a pair of brown eyes which reminded him strongly of a certain redhead.

'Caleb!' Aldarn said.

'Who's she?' Drake said. 'And why does she look like a Guardian?'

Caleb merely raised an eyebrow as the girl flashed him a big smile.

'Natasha…' he said with a sigh.

Natasha flashed him another grin before sitting up straight on top of his belly.

'Hey Caleb.' she said.

Caleb let his head fall back in the grass as he sighed again.

'Aldarn, Drake. This is Natasha. Natasha, these are my best friends Aldarn and Drake.' he said tiredly.

Natasha flashed the other two a grin.

'Hey.'

'Hey.' Drake and Aldarn said a little surprised.

'Natasha, what are you doing on top of me?' Caleb asked slightly annoyed.

Natasha giggled nervously before moving off him. Caleb sat up, rubbing his stomach while looking at Natasha. Natasha plumped down next to him and placed her head on his shoulder. Drake and Aldarn raised their eyebrows while Caleb sighed again.

'What are you doing here Natasha?' Caleb asked.

Natasha sighed a bit.

'Ehren wanted some time alone, Edeline is with Irma and Andrew, Ilana with Joel and Cassidy, Georgi is with Taranee and Nigel and Terry is with his sister and parents… I felt a bit lonely.' she said a bit drowsy.

She yawned a bit and crawled a bit closer to Caleb. Caleb smiled weakly and put one arm around her. He saw Drake and Aldarn look at him and he just shrugged.

'She just needs the support.' he said.

Both nodded before sitting down as well. Natasha eyed them curiously while Drake and Aldarn looked back at her. It was silent for a while before Aldarn's eyes darted back to Caleb.

'Say Caleb…What exactly happened these past four years?' he asked.

Caleb smiled sadly at him.

'That's a long story.' he said. 'I guess it all started when Cornelia started to visit Elyon so frequently.'

…

'Hey'

Ehren didn't bother to look around. She recognized the voice but kept staring at the tree she'd been staring at since they arrived here.

'Mind if I sit next to you?'

Ehren shrugged. There were other things on her mind then to bother if Cornelia could or could not sit next to her. She felt how Cornelia sat down and heard how a sigh escaped. Not an annoyed but a happy one.

'It's a nice tree huh?'

Ehren looked up at Cornelia, trying to push the tears, that had been laying on the surface, away.

'Huh?' she said, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

Cornelia smiled at her.

'I said, that's a nice tree.'

Ehren looked back at the tree, this time actually looking at it. She didn't see what was special about it so she just shrugged.

'Guess so.' she murmured.

Again a sigh filling the air around her and she could just feel how Cornelia started to stare at the tree as well. Why would no one leave her alone? The other girls had been concerned about her but she managed to wave them away. Now she had to show sympathy?

'You know, trees have their own language.' she heard Cornelia say.

She shrugged again, not actually caring about what Cornelia was saying.

'And they are extremely empathic to people who are close to an element.' Cornelia continued.

Was she implying something?

'And this one tells me that you're are shocked and sad.'

There it was. Ehren knew that there had to be a reason. Again someone was pitying her. Everyone did when she joined the rebellion. A poor orphan girl who needed the rebellion to survive. They showed only pity, until Angelo arrived. He just acted normal and joked with her. He filled a space that had become empty after the death of her parents, though she wouldn't say it out loud.

Suddenly she felt a hand underneath her chin. The hand guided her chin upwards and sideways so that she was looking at a worried Cornelia. Cornelia's other hand went to her hair, stroking softly through it.

'What's wrong Ehren?' she asked concerned. 'Are you shocked by what you've seen in this battle?'

She was close. Almost too close. More tears started to push upwards and Ehren swallowed to keep them down. She shook her head and tried to divert her eyes, but Cornelia kept her gaze on her.

'Is it because of what happened to Angelo?'

Cornelia barely whispered it but it struck a sensitive string. Ehren couldn't keep her tears back and they started streaming down as she nodded. She almost lost Angelo today and she was constantly thinking about what would have happened if Will was too late.

She felt how Cornelia pulled her into a hug. At first it felt terribly strange. Cornelia was an unfamiliar woman after all. But then Ehren found out that she couldn't care. She needed someone who understood her pain and fear and she knew that Cornelia loved Angelo as well. She hugged Cornelia tighter and she felt how Cornelia embraced her completely. Soothing words were whispered in her ear and slowly but surely Ehren started to calm down.

'He almost died.' she sobbed. 'I almost lost him.'

'I know.' Cornelia whispered. 'I almost lost him too.'

Again some sobs erupted from Ehren's throat.

'How…How can you be so calm?' she asked. 'Don't you think of what could have happened?'

Cornelia sighed and Ehren felt how Cornelia was stroking through her hair.

'I stopped doing that after Caleb got hurt in a battle for the tenth time.' she said. 'You'll get over it, eventually.'

'But aren't you worried it might happen to someone else?' Ehren asked.

'Oh yes. I always feared for my other friends whenever we started a battle. But you know, the funny thing was, that when we went into battle I forgot about my worries. As long as Will was shouting commands I felt like everything would be okay. I only worried before or after the battle.' Corenlia explained. 'But I think you should think about all the good things that will happen now.'

Ehren swallowed. That was something she didn't want to think off.

'But I don't know what will happen to me.' she heard herself say. 'I don't have any family or house. The rebellion was my home for the past years.'

Cornelia hugged her a bit closer.

'You never know.' she said. 'But I can tell you this. There will always be someone to watch over you.'

Ehren looked up at a smiling Cornelia and she felt how she was calming down. Maybe the future wasn't looking so dark as she thought. She felt how Cornelia went through her hair again.

'You know, in your Guardian form, your hair is pretty nice. But I still think that it's more beautiful when you're normal.' Cornelia said.

Ehren cracked a smile.

'You know, it would look better if you stopped rubbing through it.'

Cornelia laughed softly and Ehren cracked a grin. She wasn't so bad after all.

…

'This is boring.'

Edeline stopped herself from snorting as she watched Irma laying on her back and staring upwards. Andrew was sitting on her left while Edeline sat on her right. Irma had been complaining for the past few minutes and Edeline started to ignore the things she exclaimed. Andrew on the other hand chuckled and nudged Irma a bit, tickling her with his touch.

'Stop your complaining.' he said with a grin. 'Finally we have peace and you're complaining about being bored?'

Irma flashed him a grin.

'Maybe if you were used to a live full of action than you would agree with me.'

Edeline's eyes widened. Was she meant to experience more of these things. She saw how Irma looked at her and a flash of concern fell over her face as she sat up.

'Something wrong Edeline?' she asked.

Edeline shook her head, not wanting to speak her concerns. Why would she? Irma would not understand.

Irma, however wasn't satisfied with the answer. She looked critically at her and nodded firmly.

'Boys.' she said.

Edeline looked confused at her. How could she be so wrong yet know about her silent new crush on Maqi?

'What?' she said.

Irma nodded forcefully and then placed an arm around her. Edeline looked even more confused as Irma's smile widened.

'Now tell me. Who's the cutie?' she said with a grin. 'Maqi? Terry? Maqi and Terry?'

Edeline felt a blush creeping up as she shook her head forcefully.

'No! I…I…' she stammered.

'Don't worry if you're not sure how to show it. Just stick with me and Corny and you know how to flirt a guys ears off in no time!' Irma said as she ruffled through Edeline's hair.

'That's not it.' Edeline mumbled as she pushed Irma away and tidied her hair.

'No boys?' Irma said almost disappointed. 'What could it be other than boys?'

Andrew rolled with his eyes as he placed an arm around Edeline.

'I think it is because of what you said earlier.' he said. 'Am I right?'

Edeline nodded and Irma's grin fell.

'What did I say this time?' she said, feeling guilty.

'I..I just wonder…' Edeline said. 'Do…Do we have to experience more fights like these?'

Irma looked concerned at Andrew. Edeline looked from her to Andrew and back, waiting for a response. Irma sighed before placing her own arm around Edeline.

'Let me tell you something.' she said. 'This was probably the worst war you will ever witness. That doesn't take away that you will be in more wars… But if you really don't want to do this you can always quit as a Guardian.'

Edeline's eyes widened. Quit as a Guardian? Was that even possible? She looked with big eyes at Irma.

'Did you ever…want to quit?' she asked.

Irma smirked.

'Me? No. Never. Taranee and Cornelia on the other hand… Let's say that Cornelia was against the whole Guardian thing since day one and Taranee was scared for her own element.' she said with a grin. 'The only reason why we stopped was because we lived in a big time of peace…After a war on Meridian, a war against a former Guardian, a war on Arkhanta, some more trouble on Minus and other planets. And Will was going to study abroad.'

'Couldn't you teletransport to each other?' Edeline asked.

'Oh yes. We did during the crisis in Arkhanta.' Irma said. 'Do you know about it?'

Edeline shook her head and Andrew took her on his lap. Irma grinned, seeing how Edeline in her Guardian form was sitting on Andrew's lap but kept quiet.

'Well it started when Taranee's eyesight was cured.' Irma said with a grin. 'The glasses she's wearing now is more because she thinks she looks awful without them.'

…

'So you were a drummer?'

Joel nodded. Ilana had been asking him about his past life ever since the Oracle had walked through the doors and he was liking it.

'And you were dead?' Ilana asked Cassidy.

Cassidy shook her head.

'Nah, though it was a close call.' she said. 'The previous Oracle put me in some enchanted sleep and I had probably the biggest out of body experience someone could possibly have.'

'And how did you react when Cassidy told you she was old enough to be your grandmother?' Ilana asked curious.

'Hey! I'm turning 26 next month!' Cassidy defended. 'Those years that I was asleep don't count!'

Ilana rolled her eyes and Joel snickered.

'Well…I was very surprised to say the least.' he said. 'And to hear that she, as well as Irma and the others could use magic was even more surprising. But I accepted it. Cassidy is still Cassidy, no matter how old she might be.'

Cassidy smiled and kissed him on his cheek.

'Thank you.' she said with a grin.

Ilana wanted to ask more when a fold opened again. She along with Cassidy and Joel got up and prepared for whatever would come through the fold. A small green creature jumped out that Ilana immediately recognized from the books she'd read.

'That's a Passling!' she exclaimed surprise. 'They are extremely rare since the great purge three years ago! What's one of them doing here?'

'That's not just a Passling.' Cassidy said. 'That's Blunk!'

Ilana, Cassidy and Joel watched how the Passling jumped past several rebels who were trying to attack it when it saw Taranee, Irma and Cornelia.

'Girls!' he yelled.

…

Georgi looked up when she heard the yell. Nigel had said a fold had opened but she didn't want to look. What if there was someone else trying to kill them? But when she saw the strange creature she felt repulsed. The being had a necklace with a tooth on it and a small stench enveloping it and looked as if it had jumped into the mud and dung of a pig. She felt how Taranee got up from beside her and she got up as well. The little creature jumped at Taranee and hugged her. Taranee started laughing out of happiness and Georgi saw how Irma and Cornelia approached as well, both being closely followed by Ehren and Edeline.

'Blunk! I'm so glad to see you!' Taranee said as she hugged the thing.

'Hey toadstool!' Irma greeted the 'Blunk'. 'I see you got yourself a good mud bath before coming here.'

The 'Blunk' sniffed and jumped from Taranee to Irma, hugging her. Some snot fell from his nose and rolled over Irma's sleeves, who couldn't stop herself from looking disgusted.

'Funny girl!' the 'Blunk' said. 'You okay!'

'Remember what I once told you about the prom?' Irma joked. 'It's still out.'

The Blunk laughed with Irma and then turned to Cornelia. Cornelia backed away a little, waving her hands in front of her.

'No. No. No.' she said quickly. 'I'm glad you're okay and all but I do not want a…'

Before she could finish the 'Blunk' jumped at her and hugged her, snot falling from his nose on her shoulders. Georgi could see how the shivers went over Cornelia's spine.

'Hug.' Cornelia finished disgusted.

'Hey you little smuggler, how did you get away from Kandrakar and how did you get your Tonga Tooth back?' Irma asked as Blunk let go of Cornelia.

'Discount importer.' the 'Blunk' defended. 'And Will help Blunk! Blunk and Sandpit folded to Earth, yes. Sandpit went away and Blunk found funny animals with stench. Blunk mud bath! Then Blunk found Tonga Tooth!'

Georgi raised her eyebrow. This 'Blunk' seemed to have a bad vocabulary and seemed to think everything that was loose could be taken.

'So you broke in by Hay-Lin and stole your Tooth back?' Taranee asked surprised.

'Not steal! Reclaim.' Blunk defended again.

'He has a point there.' Irma said. 'The thing was his in the beginning.'

Georgi had stared at the 'Blunk' and now noticed that it was looking back at her. she slowly took a step backward when it took a step forward, holding his head sideways like a dog.

'New Guardian?' he asked.

Georgi felt how Taranee placed her hand on her back, stopping her from backing away.

'Blunk, this is Georgi. She's the new Air Guardian.' Taranee introduced. 'Georgi, this is Blunk. He's a Passling and one of our best friends.'

'Nice to meet new bubbly girly.' Blunk said as he extended his hand and Georgi saw how the mud and dung dripped off of it.

Georgi waved and smiled at him.

'I don't think I'm shaking your hand.' she said. 'But it's nice to meet you.'

Blunk shrugged as he retreated his hand.

'Suit self.' he said as he licked his hand.

Georgi felt an urge to throw up and swallowed loudly. She pulled Taranee's sleeve and Taranee bend down so her ear was at Georgi's mouth's height.

'Why is he so…so gross?' Georgi asked in disgust.

Taranee laughed and shrugged.

'I don't know. I guess it's a Passling thing. They can smell.' she replied.

'That's an understatement.' Georgi said as she tried to wave the stench away.

Taranee grinned at her.

'Believe me, after some days it will be worse.' she said.

'How can you stand it?' Georgi asked.

'After some time, you won't notice it anymore…unless he outdoes himself.' Taranee said with a grin.

Georgi looked in disgust at the Blunk who was now jumping around Irma. She exchanged a look with Ehren and Edeline and saw that both weren't too happy with hanging around the stink toad.

…

Nerissa watched as the Passling reunited with Irma, Taranee and Cornelia. She smiled at them as she could see the happiness coming from them. A groan caught her attention and she turned her head. Phobos was apparently coming back to consciousness. She watched him as he slowly heaved himself up, leaning against the bark of the tree and rubbing his head. She had to admit he looked rather handsome with his now slightly shorter hair and goatee. He was also dressed in Earth clothes. Baggy grey trousers were hugging his legs while a black long shirt covered the rest of his body. There were rips in his clothing but Nerissa was quite surprised that there was no blood.

'My head.' he groaned. 'Cedric. Miranda.'

Nerissa was no fool. She could easily remember who this Cedric and Miranda were of whom he spoke. She only wondered where they were.

'Where are they?'

Phobos' eyes opened at the sound of her voice. He looked shocked at her and tried to move away but he stopped trying as a jolt of pain seemed to go through him.

'You.' he said coldly. 'The sorceress. What do you want? I thought you were locked in a pretty little jewel.'

Nerissa heard the sneer in his voice but she also heard that he was hiding his emotions. She smiled gently at him.

'Yeah, I was.' she said. 'But Hay-Lin freed me, pulled that what made me evil out of me and then tried to kill me.'

If Phobos was surprised then he was hiding it pretty good. He kept staring at her and she felt how a blush crept over her face. It had been long since a man looked at her in such a way.

'You were not evil?' he asked.

'No.' Nerissa replied. 'I'm as evil as you are.'

At this Phobos snorted and crossed his arms. Nerissa raised an eyebrow. For a man of 33 years old he acted as a child.

'Where are we?' he asked gruffly.

Nerissa grinned. This would certainly get some emotion on the Prince's face.

'Kandrakar.' she said.

She was right. Phobos stared at her as if she said that she was going to eat him.

'K..Kandrakar?' Phobos asked unsure.

Nerissa thought she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes as he struggled to keep his face straight. But he had betrayed himself. She was guessing he was afraid that he would be locked away again. She reached for his hand, which he quickly pulled back as though she had burned him. She smiled at him.

'Don't worry. You've done nothing wrong. This time.' she said gently.

Phobos raised his eyebrow at her while she kept her smile up.

'The Oracle knows what has happened. You've lost someone dear as well?' she pressed on.

Phobos scowled and Nerissa had to admit that it looked rather cute on him.

'As well? You lost someone?' he asked unbelievingly.

Nerissa knew he was trying to bring her off topic but she felt the urge to tell him. A lone tear rolled over her cheek as she thought back.

'Yes.' she said. 'I lost Julian.'

She saw how Phobos' eyes widened. She closed her eyes, trying to repress those memories. Julian was dead and crying wouldn't bring him back. She felt how a cold yet gentle hand took her chin and how a thumb wiped the tear away. She opened her eyes and saw something that faintly looked like compassion in the icy blue eyes of the Prince.

'Don't cry.' he said. 'I hate it to see a woman cry.'

Nerissa smiled at that and pulled away, wiping her eyes dry. She noticed that Phobos was looking at her, but when he noticed that she was looking back, he looked the other way. It was silent between the two of them and Nerissa felt how tired she was from the whole day. She slowly started to drift off. The last thing she remembered was that her head had fallen against the Prince's shoulder before falling in sleep.

…

Marcus stared at the Queen of Metamoor. He had seen a lot of beautiful women in his life but she was something else. Her long, platinum hair graced her head perfectly and two long braids hang loosely past her cheeks. She was still unconscious, the bruises still visible. Marcus started to wonder how she would look like without the bruises as well as how she was. He'd heard from Will and the others that their friend Elyon was a great and sweet girl, but he wondered if she hadn't changed over the years.

His own hand ran through his now messy hair and he felt how the bump he'd gotten earlier had started to disappear. Maybe it was the magic of Kandrakar or maybe he had just imagined the size of his bump. A groan got him out of his train of thoughts. He looked as Elyon slowly started to move, turning to him and grabbing his shirt, hugging herself closer to him. A smile formed on her lips as she snuggled into him.

Marcus smiled as well. They laid for some time like this when Elyon started to groan again. She sleepily opened her eyes and when she noticed that she was snuggling against Marcus she quickly shot up. It apparently disorientated her as she started to sway where she sat. Marcus moved quickly and grabbed her shoulder, making sure she wouldn't faint again.

'Wow. Easy there.' he said.

Elyon looked surprised at him.

'Wh-Who are you?' she asked as she clutched her head.

'I'm Marcus Vanders.' Marcus said with a little bow of his head.

'Vanders? As in Angelo Vanders?' Elyon asked surprised.

'Yeah, he's my cousin.' Marcus replied. 'But you should go easy, you've got some nasty bruises.'

'Th-Thanks.' she said. 'I already felt some jolts of pain coming from my head.'

Marcus grinned at her as he let go of her shoulder. Elyon placed her hand on her head and she healed herself in no time. Marcus was impressed and apparently it was written on his face. Elyon giggled. A sound that sounded like music in Marcus' ears.

'Surprised?' she asked.

'No…Well yeah..' Marcus said clumsily, making Elyon giggle more.

Elyon stopped her giggling and Marcus noticed how she was looking at him. He could see the worry swim in her eyes as she now started to look around her. Everywhere people were bruised, bleeding or unconscious. Marcus felt something falling in his stomach when Elyon turned back to him.

'What happened? Where are we?' she asked concerned. 'The last thing I remember was Hay-Lin appearing in front of me.'

Marcus grimaced and took Elyon's hand. He took a big breath and looked her in the eyes.

'My Queen. Elyon.' he said. 'You've been enthralled for nearly four years by Hay-Lin. We are in Kandrakar after fighting for our freedom against Hay-Lin. The new Oracle freed you of your enthrallment.'

Elyon took her hand back and placed them in front of her mouth as she gasped. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she shook her head.

'N-No.' she stammered. 'It..It can't be.'

Marcus nodded sadly.

'You are not the only one who was enthralled. Cornelia, Irma, your brother and more people were also victims of Hay-Lin's craziness.' he said.

More tears streamed over her face and Marcus felt the urge to wipe them away. She was quicker and used her thorn sleeve to wipe them away.

'What happened on Meridian?' she asked concerned. 'What have I done to my people?'

Marcus sighed. He didn't know. He only knew bits and pieces thanks to Angelo.

'I don't know.' he said. 'I've been in the Earth rebellion.'

Elyon nodded slowly. More tears started to stream over her face. Marcus looked with difficulty at Elyon as she was crying. He closed in and hugged her closely, saying soothing words while rubbing her softly over her back. She grabbed him closer and cried in his chest.

'Don't worry. Everything will be alright.' he said. 'You can count on that.'

'Marcus.' she said softly. 'Am I horrible?'

Marcus snickered softly as he broke the hug. He smiled at her tearstained face and held her close.

'My Queen. I think you're wonderful. Don't worry. Things will find their way.'

He looked down to find that Elyon had fallen asleep on his chest. He snickered as he carefully let himself fall back on his back, with Elyon still sleeping.

'Sheesh, you're awake for ten minutes and already fall back asleep. And they call me lazy.' he said with a grin before sleep started to take control of him as well.

…

Mandy looked concerned at Matt. He had had a rough beating and was forced back to his human form. Lilian, Chris and Napoleon had come to see him and were glad he was just asleep. they'd left quickly after that, leaving Mandy with him alone.

Mandy reached out and took his hand in hers. She saw several little holes in his arm, indicating shots and she felt her anger for Hay-Lin rise again. Matt, her Matt, was addicted to drugs and only because of Hay-Lin. She used her healing powers to heal the little holes and the ugliest bruises on his body and now the only thing she could do was wait.

'Matt.' she whispered sadly. 'Oh Matt, what has she done to you?'

She stroke some strands of hair out of his face. The bags under his eyes made him lose some of his handsomeness he once had but Mandy knew those would disappear. She vowed to help him get over his addiction as her fingers went past the goatee he had started to grow. It suited him. It made him look older.

Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered how Matt was there for her when her parents divorced. She also remembered the jealousy she had instilled in Will, but she was glad those feelings quickly disappeared. She could remember her happiness when Will and Matt broke up. She had promised herself to find someone else but no one seemed so considerate as Matt. If she only had the courage to tell him that earlier, then these things maybe wouldn't have happened.

She bend forward and kissed him gently on his cheek, tears still streaming down.

'I promise you, things will be better from here on.' she said as she went to lay down next to him. 'I promise.'

Slowly she felt how something forced her into a sleep. She didn't fight the urge and let it wash over her. Maybe she would wake up to find that this had been one long awful nightmare and that she would wake up in her bed at home.

…

A silence fell over the forest as everyone had fallen into a sleep. Edeline had found her place next to Irma and was snuggled against her while Andrew occupied Irma's other side. Ehren and Cornelia lay next to each other, Cornelia having an arm wrapped around Ehren. Ilana lay in between Joel and Cassidy while Georgi was cuddled up next to Taranee and Nigel. Natasha was laying on Caleb while Blunk lay at his feet. Drake and Aldarn were supporting each other while sleeping. Nerissa's head was still supported by Phobos' shoulder and Phobos had placed his head on top of Nerissa's. Elyon and Marcus were still laying in the position as when they started sleeping. Kerry and Terry were sitting with their backs against each other while their parents, Hank and Sonya Vanders, were laying next to them. Raythor, who had lead the backup rebels of Meridian through the fold, was sleeping next to Sandpit, who was now nothing more than a pile of sand.

Everywhere people were sleeping and the healing of the forest started to show its effects. The giant white doors opened and the Oracle stepped through. A smile graced her lips as she walked past the rebels.

'Sleep well.' she said softly as a wind blew softly through the forest. 'Tomorrow will be a busy and important day.'

…

Hay-Lin was hugging her knees. She had everything. Everything. And she lost it all again. Again because of Will. Tears started to well up and this time she let them flow. No one would see her in this dark, damp cell. Sometimes she heard cries of a child. Of a girl.

When she first entered this cell she tried everything. Blasting the door, teletransporting out and even folding…before she remembered that she no longer had the power to fold. Then came the fit of anger. She had punched and kicked the wall, thrown magic at it and yelled her lungs out. Now she was sitting in a corner, feeling very self conscious and scared. The screams seemed to haunt her, seemed to echo in her head. The damp of the cell made her feel as if she could cry any minute and never stop. The darkness told her she was alone.

Steps. Yes, steps started to echo. Someone was walking through the prison. Hay-Lin's head shot up, hoping to find a way out. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted revenge and people around her. A light appeared on the far end of the room and Hay-Lin had to squint her eyes because of the sudden light. A shadow blocked a part of the light and Hay-Lin looked right in the face of the person she hated most. The person who destroyed her world twice. Will.

She could see the sad smile on Will's face. How could she possibly feel any sympathy? She never showed it before so why now? Hay-Lin turned her face away, not bothering to look at her.

'Hay-Lin.'

Hay-Lin made herself smaller as Will's voice rang through her room with a force that hurt her. Not her ears, but her heart.

'Your trial will commence tomorrow. Get some sleep, it will help you.'

With that Will turned around and walked away. The door closed behind her and Hay-Lin was left in darkness again. Tomorrow everything would end. She would die. New tears ran over her face as she sent another powerful gust of wind at the door.

'I. HATE. YOU!'

…

Darkness surrounded her but Yan-Lin couldn't care less. She had already anticipated that the Tower of Mist would create this room for her. She felt how her anger was pulsing through her now weak and old body. How could that child access the old power of Kandrakar? She nearly destroyed Kandrakar while accessing that power and yet she managed to keep Kandrakar whole and defeat her. Yan-Lin spat on the floor and cackled loudly. The fact that she was still alive was the proof that Will was nothing but a child. A child too weak to kill. The only option to sentence her would be to keep her in the Tower of Mist for eternity. Not that she cared. That could always give her the possibility to escape and enact her revenge. She would control the universe. She had been planning this for too long to be stopped by a meddling kid. She balled her fists as she thought back to the fight between her and Will.

_Flashback_

'Prepare for your rightful end, Yan-Lin!' Will said threateningly as more magic started to pour out from her.

'Please.' Yan-Lin begged once more.

'NO!'

Yan-Lin had closed her eyes when she saw that Will was about to finish her but opened them again when Will yelled that last word. She saw that Will's hand was trembling in front of her face, mere inches away from her nose, and glowing with a powerful magic. The veins were still pulsing with purple light but Will's eyes had returned to their original brown color. Yan-Lin felt how Will loosened her grip around her neck and gratefully started to take lots of big breaths. She felt how the purple hands lowered her to the ground and Will floated in front of her. Will's eyes were still hard with anger but she seemed to be in control.

'Why?' Yan-Lin wheezed out. 'Why didn't you kill me?'

'I am no killer, Yan-Lin.' Will said, her voice still echoing. 'Nor are the people who helped me achieve this power.

'You're weak.' Yan-Lin spat.

'That maybe so.' Will replied as suddenly robes came from the walls and wrapped around her arms and legs.

The purple hands disappeared and Yan-Lin tried to break herself out of the robes. She knew that these robes would take her powers, but they were supposed to listen to the Oracle, to her.

'It's no use, Yan-Lin.' Will said. 'Kandrakar has acknowledged a new master. Your reign is finished.'

Yan-Lin felt how all her powers were robbed from her. Will glowed again and now she was standing before her in a karate like kimono, the jacket being longer, hitting the ground while a green shawl was bound around her waist. The hem was decorated with the black symbols of the elements and the sign of the Heart of Kandrakar was neatly visible on the left side of the jacket as well as on her head. Behind Will were people standing. Ghost like figures but Yan-Lin could easily recognize them. Kadma, Halinor, Joe and John were standing behind Will and all looked sadly at her.

'If you had told us that things were wrong then we could've helped you Yannie.' Joe said.

'But now you're too late.' Halinor said gruffly.

'You should be glad that Will stopped us.' Kadma said angrily.

'Yan-Lin. I hope you'll repent.' John said.

'Go to Hell.' Yan-Lin cursed.

Kadma's face contorted in rage and wanted to jump at her but Will held her hand up.

'I think it's time for you to go and for Yan-Lin to go to her temporary holding place.' she said.

Joe, John, Halinor and Kadma nodded and they all casted one look at Yan-Lin.

'Know this Yannie.' Joe said. 'We forgive you now, but the people out there are not so happy to forgive you.'

'And not to mention your own granddaughter.' Kadma added. 'You've broken her heart. You should be ashamed of yourself.'

Before Yan-Lin could retort she felt how the robes pulled her away and she was being teletransported to her cell.

_End Flashback._

A sudden light pulled her out of her thoughts and Yan-Lin looked with spite at the new "Oracle". A sneer played on her lips.

'Will.' Yan-Lin snarled. 'Or should I say Oracle?'

Will paid no heed to her sarcasm. Apparently she was too 'good' to act upon her insolence. Yan-Lin could see the hidden hatred Will had against her.

'Yan-Lin.' Will said.

Yan-Lin felt how Will's voice broke through all her defenses and penetrated her heart. It was hurting her but she refused to show this child that she could hurt her.

'Your trial will commence tomorrow.' she said.

With that Will turned around and walked away. Yan-Lin started laughing, knowing Will would still hear her.

'Why sentence me?' she yelled. 'Your only option is to put me in this dump till the end of days! I'm not scared!'

She chuckled as she placed her head on the floor. A good sleep would do her good.

_**[A/N] That's all folks! Now I know that there are people who have noticed it but I can't help but say it. Please notice that Yan-Lin, no matter what, still views Will as a child. Well, this was a rather…boring chapter…I'm so into writing battles that this seems boring. Yet I hoped you liked it! Now only 2 chapters remain! The trails and the epilogue. Thanks for sticking with me for so long!**_

_**Please review!**_

_**BTW. Did I mention that this chapter is 21 pages long?**_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Angelo woke up. Everywhere where he looked he saw small clouds floating around. He then noticed that he was floating himself.

*What the?* he thought surprised.

Slowly his memories started to return. He remembered how he fought against Elyon and Phobos and how Hay-Lin had shot him through his chest. He remembered Cornelia crying and then darkness. He felt at his chest, finding that the hole had closed.

*Where am I?* he thought as he tried to float up straight.

Suddenly a bright light engulfed him and he was standing outside. He was no longer wearing his Warrior outfit. Instead he was wearing a sort karate kimono, with the jacket long enough to touch the ground. He noticed it was completely white and slowly started to flex his arms and fingers. Everything seemed to work just fine. He looked around and noticed that he wasn't the only one standing in the big white hall. More rebels were standing around him, all dressed in the same way as himself and all looking confused. When they saw him they quickly rushed to him, asking questions he couldn't answer.

Right when Angelo thought he had to yell over the many voices a white light appeared behind him. He turned around as a door started to form from the light. Everyone had stopped talking and were all looking in surprise at the door. The symbol of the Heart of Kandrakar was engraved in the door.

'What's that?' one of the rebels asked.

'That's a door you idiot.' another replied.

'I know.' the first one replied. 'But what do you suppose it leads to?'

Angelo smiled. He didn't know to where the door would lead them but he had the feeling that it was save. He took steps towards the door as other voices started to whisper in suspicion and fear.

'What are you doing?'

Angelo shrugged.

'We don't know where it leads to but if we just stare at it, it won't take us anywhere.' he said. 'So let's just open the fella and see what will happen.'

With that Angelo opened the door, engulfing himself and the other rebels in a white light.

…

It was warm. Georgi didn't know against what she was laying but it was warm. A soft breeze blew past her wings and a small shiver ran over her spine. The breeze was rather cold. She noticed that the thing that she was laying on had something that felt like cloth. She grabbed for it and tried to pull it over her, trying to shield herself from the breeze. A giggle woke her from her half slumber. She shot up and looked drowsily at Taranee Cook and Nigel Ashcroft. Georgi backed away in surprise as a blush crept over her face. She started stuttering apologies when Taranee and Nigel started to laugh.

'Don't worry.' Taranee said. 'We all needed our sleep.'

Georgi nodded.

'How long have I been sleeping?' she asked.

Nigel shrugged.

'Don't know. We're barely awake ourselves. All we know is that everyone had fallen asleep and are waking up now.' he replied.

Georgi looked around and noticed how many people started to wake up. She saw that she'd been laying near Edeline and Ehren. Both were waking up as well while Irma, Andrew, and Cornelia were sitting closely to one another, all smiling.

'You three are a couple of snoozers.' Irma joked. 'Having sweet dreams?'

'Chocolate and marshmallows.' Ehren muttered sleepily as she tried to turn around.

'I think that's a bit too sweet, don't you think Ehren?' Georgi joked as she poked Ehren awake.

'What?' Ehren asked drowsily. 'I was just having a great dream! Couldn't you let me sleep in for just a couple of extra minutes?'

'And miss the day? You wouldn't want that, now would you?' Cornelia said with a grin.

'There'll be another one.' Ehren replied sleepily.

Ehren turned around and tried to sleep again. Georgi looked at Edeline and they both nodded.

'I can't believe how much she resembles you.' Cornelia said with disbelieve.

'Nah, I'm worse.' Irma said with a grin.

Georgi and Edeline had gotten up in the meantime. They had searched for Natasha and went to wake her up, trying to keep the Passling Blunk asleep.

'Nat! Nat! Hey Tasha, wake up!' Georgi said as she nudged Natasha awake.

Natasha turned around, muttering that she would get up when the bell would ring. Both Georgi and Edeline looked at each other and sighed. How come that two of their group were such a snoozers?

'Need help?'

Edeline and Georgi turned around to see Ilana standing with Terry and a girl from African American origin with brown eyes and a long black ponytail. She was dressed in black jeans with a belt on which a couple of knives were hanging, a t-shirt and a pair of boots. A headband hang askew over her head and she grinned as well before extending her hand.

'I'm Kerry. Terry's twin sister.' she introduced herself.

'Edeline.' Edeline replied with a nod.

'Georgi.' Georgi said as she shook Kerry's hand. 'You said you could help?'

Terry grinned.

'If you've known Natasha as long as we then you know how to wake her.'

He walked past them and took a handkerchief from his pocket and started to advance on Natasha's nose. He ran it across her nose, making Natasha brush it away and curl up next to Caleb. Georgi grinned as she knew what Terry was doing. Terry grinned as well as he did it again. Natasha again brushed the handkerchief away and moaned a bit. Terry did it one more time and Natasha slowly opened her eyes, yawning loudly and looking with sleepy eyes at her friends.

'Hey guys.' she said with a grin. 'What are you all doing here?'

'We came to get you to wake up Ehren.' Edeline said with a grin. 'I believe that giving someone a 'boost' is your specialty.'

Ilana looked surprised.

'If you want to wake Ehren then why didn't you come to me?' she asked.

'Because we want to wake her, not fry her.' Georgi replied, getting a "humph" from Ilana, who crossed her arms stubbornly.

Natasha grinned as she slowly got up, leaving Caleb who was still sleeping. They all walked past more awakening people when Georgi looked questioningly at Ilana.

'What were you doing with Terry and Kerry?' she asked.

Ilana shrugged.

'Don't know. When I woke up I saw that they were laying near me. So I woke them and talked a bit before we saw you two walk to Natasha.' she said.

The group walked back to the place where Ehren was supposed to be sleeping when they heard a yell of happiness. When they arrived they saw Ehren and Cornelia crying and hugging Angelo, who was grinning. Taranee, Nigel, Irma and Andrew were smiling at the three.

'Angelo! You're okay!' Terry and Kerry exclaimed.

The three stopped the hug and Angelo turned to his niece and nephew. He grinned at them.

'Hey you two. Everything alright?' he said with a grin as the two of them rushed to hug him.

'You really gave us a scare back there.' Irma said with a grin.

'Never do that again.' Nigel said as he punched Angelo's shoulder lightly.

Angelo grinned at them.

'Don't worry. I'm not planning to do that for a long time!' he said.

…

More people started to squeal and the group noticed how more and more people hugged those who they'd thought to be dead. A lot of noise started to disrupt the peace of the forest yet no one seemed to be bothered because of it. After some time Caleb came walking to them. He was looking completely shocked while Drake and Blunk were laughing loudly and Aldarn patted him on his shoulder.

'Caleb!' Cornelia said as she walked up to him. 'What's wrong?'

Caleb seemed to stare right through her, as if her question never arrived. The others gave a questioning glance to Aldarn, Drake and Blunk. Aldarn grinned while Drake and Blunk kept laughing.

'Well…We went to see his mother.' Aldarn started to explain. 'And well… She was sitting next to Phobos.'

'Phobos?' Irma said. 'What does she want with that slimeball?'

'That's the best part!' Drake exclaimed.

The others looked confused at the group as Caleb seemed to be capable of killing himself while Aldarn struggled for words. It was Blunk who continued.

'Phobos will be Caleb's daddy!' he said with a big grin.

Irma and Cornelia started to laugh loudly while Taranee smiled sympathetically at Caleb. Andrew, Nigel, Kerry, Terry and G.E.N.I.E. looked confused at each other while Angelo patted Caleb on his shoulder.

'They can't be so close, can they?' he said in the hope of cheering him up.

Caleb looked at him with eyes that were searching for some support. Angelo only looked a bit awkward back and Caleb sighed.

'You should have seen it. Phobos was actually smiling….A real smile!' he moaned as his hands flew to his head.

He started to rub through his hair, making him look crazier while Irma nearly choked in her laughing.

'Oh please, step-dad Phobos!' she exclaimed. 'If you're bad he'll suck your energy dry!'

Caleb scowled at her as she, Drake and Blunk were the only ones laughing.

'What's so funny about this?' Ilana asked, not understanding.

'The fact that my brother has been a great villain for the past years in which Caleb had fought him as the rebel leader. Next to the fact that his mother was a villain as well. Funny things that happen, huh?'

Everyone turned around to see Elyon and Marcus standing near them. Elyon had a smile on her face as she waved at them. Cornelia smiled and went to hug her, quickly followed by Taranee and Irma.

'Queenie!' Blunk exclaimed as he tried to hug Elyon as well.

'Elle, I'm so glad you're okay.' Cornelia said with a smile.

Elyon replied with a grimace.

'Define okay.' she said darkly. 'I've got no memory of the past four years and when I wake up I find out that my brother is flirting with Caleb's mother…'

'It could have been worse.' Irma replied. 'You could still be enthralled.'

'I don't see what the problem is.' Elyon said darkly.

She was quickly hugged by Angelo, Andrew and Nigel while Irma grinned about Elyon's remark. Elyon then noticed the five girls who were dressed in Guardian outfits. She exchange glances with Cornelia, Irma and Taranee, who all nodded, and walked to the five girls.

'You must be the next generation of Guardians.' she said with a gentle smile.

The one with bright orange hair tried take a step forward, a confident smirk on her face, when the African American one pulled her back and forced her to bow. She then bowed herself.

'Show some respect will ya?' she heard the African American hiss to the other girl.

'She asked!' the other hissed in reply. 'And you don't have to force me down!'

Elyon then saw how the three remaining Guardians bowed as well. She shook her head with a smile and gestured that they should stop bowing.

'Please.' she said. 'The Guardians, young and old,…'

'Who are you calling old?' Irma interrupted. 'You're older than I am.'

Elyon smirked but ignored Irma.

'As I said, the Guardians have been a great help for Metamoor and me. I should be the one bowing.'

The Guardians looked surprised as they stopped bowing. Elyon stopped bowing as well and greeted them.

'I think you already know me, but I am Elyon, Queen of Metamoor.' she said politely.

'Well I am…HEY!' the girl with orange hair said before being pulled back by the African American.

'You can't walk up to the Queen!' the African American hissed.

A girl, from Hispanic origin Elyon supposed, stepped forward and bowed her head a little.

'My name is Natasha. I'm the Keeper of the Heart.' she said politely. 'And this is Georgi, the Guardian of Air, Edeline, the Guardian of Earth, Ilana, the Guardian of Fire and the loudmouth over there is Ehren, the Guardian of Water.'

Elyon chuckled.

'Yeah, I already figured out the you were the Water Guardian.' she said with a playful wink at Ehren.

'And why is that?' Ehren asked, only to get a hit on the head from Ilana.

'Honestly! I thought you knew how to show respect!' she said annoyed.

'I do know how to do it.' Ehren replied. 'It doesn't mean I have to.'

'Do to.' Ilana replied.

'Do not.'

'Do to.'

'Do not.'

Elyon grinned as she glanced at her friends. Irma and Cornelia caught her glance and grinned at her. Taranee just rolled her eyes while Angelo, Caleb, Nigel and Andrew chuckled. Her gaze wandered to the other Guardians and she could easily tell that this was a normal happening, seeing how Edeline, Georgi and Natasha sighed in annoyance. A chuckle escaped her lips and the two arguing girls turned their attention to her.

'What's so funny?' Ehren asked annoyed.

Ilana hit her on the head.

'What's so funny, _your majesty_!' she hissed.

'Do you want me to drown you?' Ehren threatened.

'Depends on how fast you can run with your butt on fire!' Ilana replied.

Elyon, sensing the slight danger, stepped between the two.

'I think that's enough. You can quarrel in your own free time, at least when I'm not near.' Elyon said. 'I get enough from those two.'

With that she nodded at Cornelia and Irma. Both looked shocked at her.

'We don't argue.' Irma said stubbornly.

'Well, we did argue a lot before this all happened.' Cornelia interjected.

'Yeah, well…That doesn't count.' Irma replied.

'I think it does.' Cornelia said.

'Wait! You can think?' Irma said, feigning surprise. 'I thought you had someone telling you what to say!'

'That says the straight C-average student!' Cornelia replied annoyed.

'Sorry that I've got better things to do than study, miss Perfect!' Irma replied.

The two were now standing close to one another and staring fiercely at each other. Ilana and Ehren were looking surprised at the two while the other three Guardians were looking with interest. The adults on the other hand all groaned.

'Well done Elyon.' Angelo said. 'You've got them to argue while they haven't been doing that for a couple of months.'

Elyon grinned sheepishly as she shrugged. Meanwhile Georgi turned to Ehren and Ilana.

'They look like you!' she exclaimed a little excited.

'Do not!'

Georgi was shocked back by the united outburst of Ilana, Ehren, Irma and Cornelia. Irma and Cornelia noticed what they had been doing and grinned at each other while both Ehren and Ilana huffed and crossed their arms in front of their chests, not looking at each other. Elyon smiled as Georgi placed her arms around Ehren and Ilana.

'Come on guys! The war is over! We shouldn't argue!' she said happily. 'We finally get a normal life! Or well…As normal as it can be with our new job.'

Ehren and Ilana grinned with Georgi and the three hugged. Natasha and Edeline quickly joined. Elyon's smile became a bit sad as she again looked at Irma, Taranee and Cornelia. She saw that the three of them were all smiling sadly as well. They could, just like her, see Hay-Lin do the same with Irma and Cornelia. Something wrapped around Elyon's heart. How could Hay-Lin, sweet Hay-Lin, end up in the dark? Before tears had a chance Irma broke the silence.

'So…What are you planning with dear old Phobos?' she asked.

Elyon huffed a bit, blowing some lost strands of hair out of her face.

'I don't know.' she said annoyed. 'He has been changing for the years we jailed him but…'

'But?' Cornelia asked.

'Well…I don't know…' Elyon said a little lost. 'In those years I've sentenced a lot of people but they all had a fair trial…And to be honest, it had been spooking my mind for a couple of months to put him on trial…I mean, he deserves one.'

The others nodded.

'I see. I think it's only fair that he gets a trial.' Caleb muttered. 'Even though he doesn't deserve it.'

Cornelia nudged him and gave him a warning glare, which he replied with a glare of his own. Drake and Aldarn, though both not too happy with the trial, saw that their Queen was right.

'You must do what you see fit, my Queen.' Drake said.

'I will.' Elyon said with a smile.

She turned around and let her eyes wander over the crowd. Her gaze settled on her brother. He had seemed nice when she first met him but it was proven to be one sick game that he'd been playing with her. When he was locked up for the fifth time Elyon knew that something was wrong with him. He couldn't be meant to be evil forever, not in her eyes. She knew that no one wanted him on trial, something that didn't feel right for her. The only reason why she hadn't sentenced him before was because of her own feelings. But now, after being enthralled for so long, she saw what she had missed. She had missed four years of her life because of an enthrallment spell but Phobos had missed nine years of his life because she locked him up without even giving him a chance. And he had changed. She could feel it whenever she visited him. He was only keeping his "bad" face up because Cedric and Miranda were near him. Now that she was thinking about them her eyes started to wander around again. Where were Miranda and Cedric? There were some fuzzy memories, somewhere in the back of her head, of the two of them but she couldn't recall. Did Hay-Lin enslave them too or…?

Her thoughts were disrupted by the sight of the two big white doors opening. Everywhere silence started to rule. Out of the door two people walked out. One was, to Elyon's utter surprise, Will Vandom. Completely dressed in a white karate like kimono, the jacket being long enough to hit the ground while a green shawl was bound around her waist. The hem was decorated with the black symbols of the elements and the sign of the Heart of Kandrakar was neatly visible on the left side of the jacket as well as on her head. The other, dressed rather similar only missing the elemental symbols, the symbol of the Heart of Kandrakar and instead of a green shawl a blue one, was Orube. Hearing the gasps of surprise Elyon guessed that they hadn't counted on seeing Orube.

'The trials are about to commence. Please enter the doors.' Will said, her voice echoing over the grounds.

Elyon noticed how her eyes flew immediately at Phobos. Orube was in no time next to him and took him by his arms. To Elyon's surprise Nerissa intervened. She said something to Orube and Orube looked back at Will, who was leading several rebels through the doors. Will nodded and Orube let go of Phobos. Phobos put his nose in the sky, muttering something and walked on own account to the door. Nerissa grinned and walked after him. Orube walked to them.

'Orube! What's with the new garments?' Cornelia asked.

'I…' Orube said, pride shining through. 'The Oracle has asked me to take up the post of Keeper of the Aurameres.'

Elyon grinned in happy surprise. She knew that Orube's former master, Luba, had been the Keeper of Aurameres for a long time. Orube had to be proud that she was following her master's footsteps. The others congratulated her as the group slowly started to advance on the doors.

'What's an Auramere?' she heard Ehren mutter to Natasha, who only shrugged.

'So…What did Nerissa say to you?' Elyon asked, gaining attention from the group.

Orube frowned a bit, not exactly agreeing with what had happened.

'She told me that Phobos would not try to run away.' she said, still sounding as if she didn't believe it. 'I wouldn't have released him if the Oracle hadn't agreed to let him go.'

'So Will is truly the Oracle?' Elyon asked surprised.

'No, she loves it to walk and talk like that.' Irma said as she rolled her eyes. 'Of course she's the new bigwig!'

As the group passed the door they saw Will smiling at them. As they walked past her Irma suddenly felt a light swat on the head. She yelped and rubbed the back of her head as she glared at Will, who only smiled back.

*_I thought I told you not to call me bigwig.*_ Will's voice said telepathically.

Irma muttered a string of curses while the others laughed softly. They all arrived at a big circular room. The benches were placed in a staircase like fashion and they were filled till the middle with the people who had arrived after the battle. The other rebels had taken place beneath them and the group sat somewhere in front, next to Nerissa and Phobos. Phobos and Elyon didn't look at each other, both ignoring the other's presence while Nerissa just waved at the others. A lot of noise was filling the room but it all subdued when Will entered the room herself. She took place in the middle of the room, hovering above a pond with a similar shape as the sign of Quintessence.

…

Will breathed in slowly. She had to admit that this was all new but she didn't feel concerned. On contrary, she felt relaxed, calm. She looked over the thousands of people that were sitting on the benches, most of them having thorn clothes. Most of them being innocents who were pulled in a war in which they had no control. The different emotions of all the people were washing over her, yet she managed to keep control. Everyone was looking expectantly at her and she breathed slowly, waiting for complete silence.

'Greetings inhabitants of many worlds of the Infinite Dimensions.' she started, her voice easily audible. 'We are here today to not only celebrate the end of the terrible war that had been going on for four years, but also to pass judgment on those who deserve it and to end final doubts.'

A new silence ruled as everyone looked at Will in anticipation. Will took a deep breath and continued.

'We will start with the minor cases, revolving those who have served Hay-Lin during the war. Some will be taken apart so that everyone may know what exactly transpired. These will be followed by the trials of Hay-Lin and Yan-Lin…'

Will was interrupted by the murmurs of the people. Not only the rebels, but those who had agreed on joining her Council were whispering. Not that she could blame them but they had to know the true master brain behind this terrible war. Will coughed softly and people slowly started to stop their whispering. Again their attention was on Will and Will smiled serenely at them.

'I know that many of you don't believe that Hay-Lin or Yan-Lin deserve a trial, but if the Council and I would sentence them without a trial, we would seem as bad as them.' she explained.

Many still didn't think that a trial was necessary but Will ignored those thoughts.

'As I was saying, after the trials of Yan-Lin and Hay-Lin we will move on to a happier event. The inauguration of the new Guardians. Now, will the people who served Hay-Lin during this war, including the time before their de-enthrallment, come forward?'

Will waited patiently as the former army of Hay-Lin slowly got of the stands and stood in front of her. Her eyes had wandered to Cornelia, Irma, Elyon, Aldarn, Uriah, Drake, Eric, Bess, Joel, Matt and Phobos and she smiled as they too moved to stand with the people who served Hay-Lin.

They all bowed in front of her, which was still a weird feeling and looked at her, waiting for their punishment.

'You have all worked for Hay-Lin and all of you have done that for a reason. To protect your family, friends, your own life or because they were forced by Hay-Lin's magic.' Will said calmly, making the people who had been afraid of their punishment calm down. 'The Council and I have decided that these people only deserve a new chance at their lives. You will not forget the events but you will be capable of living with them. You can return to your places.'

As the group started to move again, Will spoke up once more.

'However, the individuals who go by the names of Irma Lair, Cornelia Hale, Elyon Escanor, Phobos Escanor, Uriah Dunn, Matthew Olsen, Eric Lyndon and Bess Grumper have to remain. The Council and I have spoken about you and decided to alter certain things.'

Will saw how Uriah gulped. She was glad that the afraid Uriah had returned. She could sense that his mind was still a mess and that his emotions were now overwhelming him. His knees buckled and she felt sorry for the guy. She was glad that Irma and Cornelia noticed his fear and grabbed his shoulders, keeping him up. Her gaze wandered to Matt. She really regretted it to see him like this. He had bags under his eyes and looked sick. He was slightly shaking due to not having used drugs for a short period of time and his own mind was starting to make him nervous, scared and sad. She knew she couldn't do much than to punish him, silently cursing her position. But then again…She looked from Matt to Mandy. Mandy was looking concerned at him and she knew that she only wanted to rush at him and hold him near, to soothe his addiction. Maybe this was the right course of action.

'Bess Grumper and Eric Lyndon.' Will announced. 'Please step forward.'

he two of them took a step or two forward, facing Will directly. Eric and Bess held each other's hands, scared of what Will might do to them. Again a perfect example of why the people of Earth were deprived from magic for so long. If they're only introduced to dark magic, they can only relate to that and are automatically scared of all sorts of magic, including the white magic.

Will felt the pain they felt and looked sadly at them, though a smile remained on her face.

'The two of you have suffered a lot, but neither the Council nor I wish to punish you for your deeds.' Will said calmly. 'Eric Lyndon, you've been forced into enthrallment by some means I don't think should be recited. Hay-Lin transformed you into this form by the use of science and magic, but to you it was only torture.'

She floated over the pond and landed in front of Bess and Eric. She slowly reached out for Eric's face, only for him to back away, scared. Will pressed on and placed her hand against his cheek, her thumb stroking softly against his cheek. Eric had closed his eyes on her touch and Will felt a surge of fear going through Eric. Sadly she knew why he reacted this way.

'I cannot make these memories disappear. You would not be capable of returning if I cut out so much of your memory. But I can do this.' Will continued.

Her hand glowed gently and slowly but surely Eric started to shrink. He shrank back to the height of a normal human man na his muscles had toned down. He still had some admirable muscles, but they looked natural and not as if he had trained day after day to enter a bodybuilding contest.

Eric had felt the change and opened his eyes. Will sensed that his mind was clearer and he looked in wonder at his hands and arms. He flexed them and looked in wonder at Will, gratitude shining in his eyes.

Will had turned to Bess, who was looking hopefully at her. Will again reached out, now for Bess's face and placed her hand softly on her cheek. Bess had closed her eyes as well as Will spoke soothingly to her.

'You, Bess Grumper, you've been forced into Hay-Lin's service because the threat that your life and your sister's would end.' Will said. 'Hay-Lin did not keep her word and killed your sister by using Cornelia and she punished you by turning you into this.'

Cornelia had gasped at the revelation, apparently no longer remembering that she'd done that.

A lone tear ran over Bess's cheek and Will brushed it away.

'Again, I cannot take these memories away from you. You need to accept them as a part of your life. It would also be a shame to smudge your sister's remembrance by doing so. But I'll restore you to the way you were.' Will said softly.

Her hand glowed white again and Bess started to shrink. Her muscles started to disappear and she started to fill out on the right spots. A cloak fell over her, hiding her upper body and Bess opened her eyes gratefully, tears blinking in them.

'Thank you.' she whispered in a broken voice.

Will smiled kindly at her.

'The two of you can return to your seats.' she said.

Eric and Bess muttered their thanks again before rushing back to their places, holding their hands and smiling fondly at each other. Will waited until the two were seated before continuing.

'Uriah Dunn and Matthew Olsen.' Will said. 'Come forth.'

Both Uriah and Matt took quivering steps forward, Uriah freeing himself from the hold of Cornelia and Irma. Neither of the two men dared to look at her, while she was standing in front of them.

'Look at me.'

The two winced as her voice was carried through the room and the two men struggled to look up. Matt's eyes were full of pain, regret and self-loathing while Uriah's eyes showed pure fear and anger towards himself and perhaps Hay-Lin.

'Uriah Dunn, your fear has always plagued you. Hay-Lin knew this and used it to alter you. Her magic messed up your brains and masked your fear with cruelty. Now that you're free, your conscious is haunting you and your fear is overpowering you.'

Uriah backed away in fear as Will approached him. Her hand glowed white and Uriah's expression went blank.

'I'll restore you brain to what it was before.' Will said. 'Your conscious will be eased for a bit and your fear will diminish to normal proportions. You are not blamed for your past actions and are free to live your life.'

Uriah's blank expression disappeared and he grabbed for his head, his eyes wide of disbelieve. He bowed several times for Will, nearly planning to start kissing her feet.

'Thank you!' he said. 'Thank you! I'm sorry for all the things I ever said to you! I'm truly sorry! Thank you!'

Will grinned at him and gestured for him to go to the benches. Uriah ran happily to the benches, rooting one more time. Several snickers filled the room while other's threw judgmental looks at Uriah. Will only grinned before she turned her attention to Matt.

'Will…I mean Oracle…I..' Matt started but Will ushered him for silence.

'You Matthew Olsen have fallen for the alluring power of drugs, like many have on Earth.' Will said, her voice indicating sadness and perhaps a bit of disappointment. 'You should have been wiser since you hold a third of the power of the Heart of Earth.'

Matt's head hang in disappointment. Will could sense he was blaming himself and she was glad that he at least saw the problems the drugs created. She also sensed how the addiction was starting to push him. How he hungered for a joint. A slight sense of disgust came up in Will but was quickly overruled by the feeling of pity.

'Lilian Hale, Heart of Earth. Please come forward.'

From the stands, Lilian walked to the middle. She was quivering a bit, now feeling a sense of submission towards Will. She gave Cornelia a sideways glance and Cornelia nodded encouragingly. She steeled herself and bowed for Will. Will turned to Matt.

'The Council and I have decided that you are no longer adequate of holding the powers of the Heart of Earth.' Will said with a heavy voice.

Matt's head hung deeper as a sigh escaped his lips. Lilian's eyes had widened and she started stammering protests.

'N-No.' she said. 'I..I couldn't! He has been Regent for so long! It would not be fair to take his power away only because he served Hay-Lin.'

Will nodded slowly and she saw how Matt looked surprised at Lilian. Though before Will could voice the reasons of why Matt was not allowed to hold powers, Matt spoke up.

'N-No, Lilian.' he said. 'The Oracle's right. I'm still addicted and I could easily fall for a trap if the enemy would offer me drugs. I am unfit to hold your powers and I hereby surrender them to you.'

Lilian tried to protest but a green glow came from Matt and slowly streamed to her. Lilian glowed briefly green when the beam stopped. The power transition was complete. Lilian rushed to Matt, giving him a hug.

'I'm sorry Matt.' she said, her eyes wet with tears. 'You were one of my favorites.'

Will smiled sadly at the two when Lilian turned to her.

'Uhmm…Oracle, may I ask something?' she asked a little nervous.

Will raised an eyebrow while someone of her Council called from his place.

'You do not interrupt the Oracle during this session! It's unheard off! Doesn't this child know what respect means?'

Cornelia, Elizabeth and Harold turned to the Council member, all three having an angry expression.

'That's my sister you're talking about!' Cornelia threatened.

'If you're doubting my way of raising children then I would like it if you would say it right in my face!' Elizabeth breezed angrily.

'If you dare, that is.' Harold added.

Before the Council man, or any of the Hales could act Will interrupted.

'Please, one war at a time is enough. Don't start a new one.' she said simply. 'Council man Vanor, the Heart of Earth has the right to ask me anything anytime. You are not the one to judge about the acts of others.'

Vanor bowed his head in respect and sat back down, while Elizabeth and Harold had a smug grin on their face and Cornelia flashed a smile at Will. Will returned her attention to Lilian, who had been waiting patiently.

'Please, ask your question.' Will said calmly.

Lilian shuffled with her feet and fumbled with her hands. Will sensed the insecurity and doubts in Lilian's mind but she seemed to push them aside.

'I wondered. If Matt proved himself again, am I allowed to give him a portion of my powers?' she asked hesitantly.

Will smiled. She was proud that Lilian wasn't planning on hogging her powers to herself. She seemed scared for holding so much power and was prepared to share them. Will nodded.

'If he proves himself to be worthy enough for you, you are allowed to give him some of your powers. This is your own choice, seeing that these are your powers.'

Lilian grinned and winked at Matt. Will noticed Chris shifting uncomfortably in his seat and smiled a bit. Jealousy was planting itself but it would quickly disappear, she was certain of it. She motioned for Lilian to return to her seat and Will focused again on Matt.

'You've seen the reason behind the Council's and mine decision.' she said solemnly. 'But I sense a feeling of defeat in you. You feel as if the world just ended for you. You are afraid that you'll never get rid of your addiction.'

She took Matt's hand and guided him to the benches. She could hear a lot of thoughts from her Council, thinking of how preposterous it was for an Oracle to touch "normal people". Will only smiled at those thoughts. Kandrakar had always been a stiff place and maybe loosening the minds of the elders of the many planets would solve more problems than to keep them in their own happy world.

She felt Matt's heart race as they neared the benches. Mandy's eyes widened as Will reached out for her hand. Will brought Mandy's and Matt's hands together, holding both in her hands. She smiled at the two.

'Matthew, there is always a chance to find happiness, if you are willing to search for it. And I believe that Mandy will help you find it. Trust her and find your way back to a normal life.'

Matt's and Mandy's eyes went to Will and gratitude shined from their eyes. Will nodded with a smile before returning to her former place.

'Prince Phobos Escanor and Queen Elyon Escanor of Metamoor. Please come forth.' Will said calmly after retaking her place above the pond.

Phobos and Elyon both walked forward, ignoring the other. Phobos looked at the ground, refusing to look at Will while Elyon looked calmly at her. The pair of them had been one of the most important topics of the meeting before these trials. Especially when she found some interesting news on Phobos of which she was sure no one knew…Except for the one responsible that is. And after long persuasion from her side she had managed to convince the Council that Elyon was worthy to be the Keeper of the Light of Metamoor and to be the Queen of said planet. And even after more persuasion, this time being aided by Orube and some wise men who'd never heard of Phobos, she had managed to convince the Council to no longer prosecute Phobos for his sins.

'Queen Elyon Escanor of Metamoor.' Will started. 'You have been Queen for approximately ten years and you've reigned with wisdom. Despite the not so fortunate events around your coronation and the events the year after, you kept the solid trust of your people.'

Elyon smiled lightly at the praise, but Will wasn't finished.

'However, some of the Council members were concerned because of said events and because how easily you were enthralled by Hay-Lin.'

Phobos shot a smirk at his sister, while Elyon tried to keep her calm. Will felt the feeling of dread arise in Elyon but was glad Elyon didn't show it on her face.

'The deeds you've done during your enthrallment are not to be hold against you. And, despite the wishes of several Council members, are still recognized as Queen of Metamoor.'

Will felt the relief overwhelming Elyon but Elyon's expression was void of any emotion. She just bowed.

'Thank you Oracle.' she said with dignity.

The stopped her bow and took a step backward, having the feeling that Will wasn't done with her yet. Will's eyes wandered to Phobos, who had a sneer on his face.

'Prince Phobos Escanor of Metamoor.' Will said calmly.

Snorts echoed through the room and Will's gaze temporarily shifted through the room, landing on every Meridianite in the room. She could understand the humor in using Phobos's title, but he still deserved it, even if his deeds weren't something to be proud of.

'You have been a long threat, to the Metamoor and the other dimensions.' Will said.

Phobos merely scoffed and avoided Will's gaze. Will heard several mutterings about being insolent but she ignored them. She could feel Phobos's emotions and none of them were pretty good. He felt terrified yet, just like his sister's, his face was void of emotions. The emotions of sadness, self loathing and pain coursed through him. She had never thought that Phobos would be someone so full of emotions, though she had the feeling that, thanks to her de-enthrallment wave, the strings that had been controlling Phobos for so long were loosening and his true emotions were starting to emerge.

'You've killed your parents, Queen Weira and King Tarlus. You've ruled Metamoor in dictatorship and tried to take the Light of Metamoor from your sister, who is the rightful heir to its power. You tried to retake Metamoor for three times, only once succeeding and yet being defeated by the Guardians.' Will continued.

Will felt a rise of anger in Phobos as he glared at her. He was probably blaming her for his failures, but she couldn't help it that she was just doing her job.

'And now, you've been used by Hay-Lin.' she said, ignoring his glare. 'You've lost your best friend, your "brother" if you wish to call him so because of the foul mind of Hay-Lin. As well as a female you could consider as a good acquaintance.'

'Shut up.'

Whispers started to fill the room while Will looked at Phobos, feeling how his feelings started to overpower him. She felt how he was reliving his final conscious moments and she saw how his hands quivered with anger.

'I beg your pardon?' she said, poking the fire just enough.

Phobos looked straight at her, anger evident on his face.

'I said shut up.' he stated coldly.

More whispers roamed the room and Will saw how Caleb, Drake and Aldarn were reaching for their weapons. Elyon looked cautiously at her brother and Irma and Cornelia were already in a fighting stance, ready to take Phobos down if he did one wrong move. Will raised her hand and the whispers started to subdue, though the cautiousness was still palpable.

'You seem to object to these statements.' she stated calmly, persuading Phobos to speak up.

Phobos gritted his teeth and Will felt how he tried to keep his tears back. How he tried to reject that he was human too. How he hungered for the strings that had been controlling him for so long.

'I never wanted to.' he said softly.

'You mean?' Will replied gently.

'I never wanted to, okay!' Phobos yelled angrily as tears started to fall from his eyes. 'I never wanted to kill Mother or Father! They were all I had! They just had to spend some time with me! It was always Elyon this and Elyon that!'

Elyon gasped and looked shocked at her brother. This was the first time that Phobos showed these emotions and Elyon couldn't help but to pity him. Will, on the other hand, didn't seems fazed by the outburst and kept her silence as Phobos continued.

'It was never my intention to kill them! But that voice! She…Made me do it! And Cedric…He was the only one who actually acknowledged me! And he followed me! It's my fault he died! Happy to hear that? It's my fault he died and that Miranda died with him!'

A lot of murmurs filled the room, many laughing at what Phobos just yelled. Phobos looked like a little child and Will felt how his emotions were overwhelming him. Tears were falling uncontrollably and Phobos just stood there.

Will ushered again for silence, though this time it wasn't going as easy as before.

'Enough!' she said with an impressive voice.

The whispers subsided. The only sound being small, unwilling sobs coming from Phobos. Elyon was looking terribly uncomfortable at her brother, not sure what to do. Will stayed silent until Phobos managed to get a grip on himself.

'You said that a voice spoke to you.' Will said, gaining Phobos's attention. 'Do you know whose voice it was?'

Phobos shook his head, avoiding Will's or anyone else's gaze.

'Can you believe it! She's actually listening to him!' she heard a Meridianite whisper.

'Hmpf. Just lock him up and be gone with him.' another whispered.

'Prince Phobos. The Council and I have been mulling for a long time on your punishment.' Will said loudly.

Phobos looked at her, his face again void of emotions and if it weren't for his tearstained face it would have looked like he never showed his emotions.

'And we've decided not to punish you.'

A lot of roars of outrage erupted after this statement. They mostly came from the Meridianites though Irma, Cornelia and Taranee were amongst those who were clearly against this notion.

'He's a monster!' one yelled.

'He killed hundredths!' another one yelled.

'He went after our families!' Irma yelled.

Will found difficulty to remain calm when so many clearly had only one vision and were not prepared to look from the other side. It had been difficult for her not to shout at a couple of her Council members but this was getting ridiculous. She raised her hand, trying to silence the mob but the roars were still thrown through the room.

'ENOUGH!' Will stated loudly, making everyone silence at once.

Will breathed slowly, trying to keep her calm, silently admiring how Himerish had kept his composure for so long.

'Prince Phobos has done nothing wrong since his last imprisonment.' Will stated calmly. 'He had not joined Hay-Lin on his own free will and is therefore innocent. He had spent ten years in jail, without any trial, for his misdeeds in the past and the Council and I have decided that he has served his time and is therefore no longer punished by Kandrakar. He now falls under the rule of the Queen of Metamoor. She will decide upon his fate after these trials. These are my final words upon the matter.'

Phobos had looked at her as if she was crazy and he wasn't the only one. Many people in the room were looking at her as if she just lost it. But they didn't know. They didn't know that Phobos spoke the truth. They didn't know that this all had been a scheme of someone else. But they would understand her decision.

Will nodded at the two Escanor relatives and both bowed for her, Phobos doing so without a single hard feeling towards her. He might think that she's being stupid but she could also sense that he was grateful. That he was glad that he wasn't punished for crimes he had not committed. The two walked away, Elyon joining Marcus while Phobos sat somewhere else, trying to avoid as many people as possible. Nerissa had left her seat minutes later and joined him. Phobos only ignored her and stared at his hands, not believing what just had happened. Did Will…the Oracle really believe him?

Will looked around, giving everyone a critical look, warning them not to perform any "acts of justice" against the Prince before her eyes settled on the last two before the two biggest trials. Irma and Cornelia were waiting patiently though Irma was looking critically at her, obviously not agreeing with her decision but she would see. For now it was time for her punishment.

'Irma Lair and Cornelia Hale, step forward.'

Both Irma and Cornelia neared and Will sensed that both were expecting to get away with all of this just like the others. Boy, were they in for a surprise.

'Many blamed the two of you for not controlling Hay-Lin, for letting her fall into the darkness.' Will started.

Irma's and Cornelia's eyes widened in surprise. They had clearly not been expecting something like this.

'Though when new evidence came to the light those who blamed you retreated their opinions.'

Irma and Cornelia seemed to relax at that, but Will wasn't finished.

'But you still hold the Aurameres of Water and Earth and the Council members are still suspicious of you. You have been trained as assassins and are quite good at it as well. They are still scared that one of you, or worse, both of you, might get the same idea as Hay-Lin.' Will continued.

Cornelia looked dumbfounded at Will while Irma's mouth fell open. Will had to suppress a chuckle as the two of them looked stupefied at her.

'Well, you can tell those elders of yours that they can mmmbnfhmn!' Irma started before Cornelia reacted by clasping her hand over Irma's mouth, shooting her a warning glance.

Will kept her face straight though she grinned inwardly. Leave it to Irma to be rude while she was being trialed.

'Therefore Kandrakar has decided to reclaim the Aurameres of Water and Earth and to make you watchers of Hay-Lin.' Will finished.

'Say what!' Irma exclaimed shocked. 'You let Phobos go off easy while he killed tons of people and you punish us because of our knowledge! What kind of justice is that?'

'You know we never asked for this! Can't you just erase that from our memories?' Cornelia pleaded.

'And what do you mean with "watchers of Hay-Lin"? What are you planning to do with her? Place her in a dusty old dungeon and have us post outside to keep an eye on her? I was planning to rebuild my life, not destroy it further!' Irma complained more. 'I understand you want to Aurameres back, no problem! I still hold some of its powers…But come on! This is not fair!'

Will sighed. She had known this would happen. She would have placed other people as watchers if things were different…But with the current things, she doubted that anyone would do better than Irma and Cornelia.

'This is no punishment.' Will said.

Irma scoffed and Cornelia looked skeptically. She could understand why. This did sound like a punishment.

'The only reason why the two of you were chosen…'

'You hear that Corny? We're chosen…again!' Irma grumbled annoyed.

Will repressed the urge of making Irma's mouth disappear and breathed slowly in and out.

'The two of you were chosen because you are the only ones who can help her. And she will help you.' she said calmly.

'That doesn't make any sense.' Cornelia stated.

Will couldn't help but to smirk. She was about to use the sentence that had irked her and the other girls for so long and she just couldn't help but smile at the irony.

'You will understand soon enough.'

The reaction was immediate. Both Irma and Cornelia seemed to repress the urge to launch themselves at Will and both grumbled for the use of the most dreaded sentence in the whole universe. Both shot her one nasty glare, only for Will to smile back, her eyes showing a challenge. Irma and Cornelia both sighed and nodded their heads, knowing they wouldn't win.

'Orube?' Will called.

Orube came walking to them. She looked questioningly at Will and Will just nodded.

*_Follow your heart.*_ Will told her telepathically.

Orube nodded slowly and walked to Irma and Cornelia. Both closed their eyes and started to relive the moment they stopped being Guardians. Back then it was a painful experience, not physically but mentally. They had never thought to end it so quickly. But now, they weren't sure what to think. Their powers had returned only because they needed to be protected and in a sense they failed their elements. They fell under the slavery of Hay-Lin and failed to keep their elements from being used for evil.

They felt how Orube placed her hands on their heads and how the Aurameres were slowly leaving their bodies. Once they knew that the Aurameres were out they opened their eyes. In Orube's hands were now two orbs, one being marine blue while the other was a goldish green. They smiled sadly as Orube waved with her hands and the two orbs disappeared. They looked up at Will, who only nodded for them to return to their seats. Will could still sense that they were angered because of their new, forced role but Will hoped that they would see the other points of view. That they would understand why she'd chosen them.

The people started to become restless. The smaller trials had been handled and now the trials of Hay-Lin and Yan-Lin would start. They wondered what kind of punishment the two awaited and wondered if Will was truly a good Oracle. Though many didn't know what Phobos had done in the past, they could easily see that he was not an innocent man and they were doubting the righteousness of the new Oracle. Was she too weak?

Will pushed the thoughts away. The people only knew one side of the story. They didn't know that their biggest fear was also the biggest victim. She nodded at the doors and the doors slowly opened. Entering were Hay-Lin and Yan-Lin, both flanked by two men in white armor. The people in armor were younger men who wanted to defend Kandrakar itself and Will had granted their wish by making them the Guards of Kandrakar. They would defend Kandrakar from any threats if the Guardians were preoccupied and they would watch over any prisoners Kandrakar would hold.

They brought Yan-Lin and Hay-Lin to the middle of the room. The two Lins glared daggers at everyone, but especially at Will. Immediately when the Guards let go of them, white robes appeared, restraining the two Lins and keeping their magic at a minimum. They couldn't risk an escape. The Guards bowed before walking back to the doors, closing them behind them.

Will looked down on the two Lins. Both had a look of defiance on their face, only for different reasons.

'Yan-Lin and Hay-Lin. You two are on trial for the crimes you have committed against Earth, Metamoor, Zamballa, Dreadmore and Kandrakar. Do you deny this?' Will accused, glaring at the two Lins.

Neither of the Lins reacted to the accusation and Will just sighed. She had hoped for some reaction, at least from Hay-Lin. Will focused her attention on Yan-Lin, knowing that a lot of trouble would emerge during or after her trial.

'Yan-Lin, you have persuaded Hay-Lin into killing the former Oracle and you've taken the spot of Oracle illegitimately. You've helped with the enthrallment of Queen Elyon Escanor, Irma Lair and Cornelia Hale.'

Yan-Lin only grinned, as if she was being praised for her achievements. Though Will was about to unravel something that she was sure of that Yan-Lin never thought to be discovered.

'But these are only recent crimes.' Will said, gaining attention from Hay-Lin as well.

In fact, everyone was silent as they waited to hear more. They hadn't thought that Yan-Lin would have committed more crimes. Yan-Lin's eyes widened in disbelieve as Will continued.

'Let's return to your Guardianship, shall we?' Will said. 'The time that you planned all this. Back to the time you planned to rule Kandrakar.'

Gasps came from everywhere in the room while Hay-Lin glared at Will.

'What are you talking about? Grandma has been a remarkable Guardian, you know that!' she hissed angered.

Will waited for the whispers to die away before she continued.

'Yes, she was a remarkable Guardian, though in more ways than one.' Will said.

'I do not know what you are talking about!' Yan-Lin hissed annoyed.

Will felt a small anger rise and she pressed on with a more powerful voice.

'Have you, or have you not infected Nerissa with the virus of darkness?' her voice boomed through the room.

Many gasps came from the room though it quickly returned to the silence that reigned before. Yan-Lin's eyes widened in shock while Hay-Lin looked confused at her grandmother.

'I..N-..N-..'Yan-Lin tried to say but something seemed to stop her.

'It's no use to lie Yan-Lin. The magic of the trial keeps you from lying.' Will warned.

Yan-Lin scowled at her. Will felt how the uneasiness started to rise in the room as the attention settled on Yan-Lin. Yan-Lin tried to keep lying but it didn't matter, the answer came out.

'Yes, I have.' she admitted.

Will could feel the hurt in Nerissa. Nerissa and Yan-Lin had been best friends back in their days and the hurt of betrayal pained Nerissa.

'Why?'

Nerissa's voice echoed through the room. Her voice was filled with pain and anger but Will allowed the question to be heard.

Yan-Lin had her back to Nerissa but Will felt that Yan-Lin felt the urge to answer. To gloat.

'Because you didn't see it.' Yan-Lin said loud enough. 'You didn't see the power the pendant held. I deserved it! So I managed to make it look like you had my thoughts, making that fool Himerish think you were being corrupted! But then it had to be given to that water head of a Cassidy! So I had to give you the means to kill her.'

'You witch!' Caleb roared. 'How dare you!'

'Water head? You were always the airhead! Come and say it straight to my face Yannie!' Cassidy threatened angered.

More shouts of anger filled the room but Will demanded for silence.

'SILENCE! This trial hasn't ended yet.' she roared.

Silence returned, however grudgingly and Will continued.

'After that you influenced Phobos, so you could push the former Council into demanding a new set of Guardians so you could manipulate the new Keeper.' Will said before being interrupted again.

'What!'

Elyon's voice had rang through the room in anger, while more whispers filled the room as well. People were shocked to find out that Phobos had been speaking the truth while others were shocked that Yan-Lin had been planning this for so long. Cassidy and Nerissa were speechless while Hay-Lin was paling with every passing revelation.

'You did what to my brother!' Elyon yelled angrily, her hands already glowing.

Will felt how many people were becoming angry or how their confusion created hurt. She also saw that Yan-Lin was starting to become the target of the newfound anger and she created a barrier around her, in case that people couldn't control themselves.

Yan-Lin did not react to Elyon or any other shouts and demands. She kept glaring at Will and Will felt the sheer surprise of Yan-Lin.

'Silence!' Will roared again, again silencing the room. 'If I have to silence you again, I shall continue this trial without you. Queen Elyon, please stay seated. It is not your place to punish Yan-Lin.'

Elyon shot one nasty glare at Will, obviously thinking different, but she sat down when Cornelia pulled her sleeve. Will saw the surprised look on Phobos's face and she smiled inwardly. The damage that was once done was already being repaired, though slowly.

'If you had managed to manipulate the Keeper, you would have had a whole team of Guardians backing you up, helping you to control Kandrakar and with your knowledge of the Heart's darker powers you nearly succeeded. But when you knew you couldn't control the Keeper you decided to go after the weakest link of the group. Your granddaughter. Being your granddaughter, she had always been near you and you had influenced her for a long time, though mainly because she could influence the Keeper as well.' Will continued.

'How?'

Will looked at Yan-Lin as Yan-Lin's eyes showed spite, hatred and surprise.

'How do you know all this while that fool Himerish didn't know a thing?' she asked spiteful.

Will didn't have to answer the question. It wouldn't be necessary. Yan-Lin didn't need to know it, but Will felt she owed her at least one explanation.

'I only know it because Himerish didn't know.' Will said, confusing everyone. 'The longer you remain an Oracle the longer you have been filtering parts out. And sometimes you filter out too much. Unfortunately this happened with Himerish. Thousand Earth years of ruling as the Oracle without much life experience can end up with leaving several errors. But when I received the full memories of all Oracles I also received these bits of information.'

Yan-Lin sneered at her, clearly not believing her words. That would be her own problem. The trial was not yet finished for only one last bit remained, the reason why Hay-Lin fell into darkness.

'But this is not why this trial is hold.' she continued. 'For there is only one more thing that you've done. Though it might not seem big if you compare it to your other deeds, it is still one of the most significant things you've done. And it considers your granddaughter.'

Will felt how everyone was now looking at Hay-Lin and Hay-Lin looked at her. Hay-Lin's face was void of emotion but her eyes said everything. Her eyes were pleading her not to continue, that she didn't want to know any truth. Will felt a pang of guilt as she looked in those eyes. It had to be done, so that people would understand why Hay-Lin would be punished the way Will would degree.

Will saw how Yan-Lin gritted her teeth. She probably knew what Will was about to say.

'Did you, or did you not use your powers to make Luba, the previous Keeper of the Aurameres, faint to tap into the Auramere of Water so you could suggest to a couple of crooks, who were stopped by the previous generation of Guardians, what the real identity of the Air Guardian was so that they could kill the parents, your son and daughter-in-law?' Will accused, again hearing a lot of gasps in the room.

Hay-Lin stared at her grandmother, simply not believing what Will had said. Yan-Lin grumbled softly, not being audible for the people in the room but Hay-Lin and Will were able to pick it up.

'Yes.'

Hay-Lin's eyes widened in shock and Will felt how Hay-Lin's heart broke. The only one she thought she could trust appeared to be the one who destroyed her life and sadly, Will wasn't done just yet.

'And did you, or did you not, prevent the communication between the Guardians and your granddaughter after this incident, making her feel alone?' Will continued.

Silence reigned the room when Yan-Lin suddenly started to laugh maniacally.

'So you figured all out!' she said, sounding crazy. 'Yes! I ordered the death of my son and daughter-in-law. I prevented that you or any of the others could contact Hay-Lin! I even managed to make it seem as is you never cared! And she turned out to be the perfect pawn! There! And what are you going to do now? Lock me up in the Tower of Mists? Do your worst, I'm not afraid!'

Through the whole confession, Will's eyes watched Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin was breaking down more and more and Will was afraid that she would try to jump at her grandmother, but then Will saw it. Hay-Lin had broken down. All her emotions that had been pushed away, ignored or simply discarded now started to overwhelm her. Hatred was among those feelings though pain, sadness and hurt were overruling it. Hay-Lin fell on her knees and tears started to flow. Will felt how Hay-Lin's fear for being executed disappeared, how she wished that Will would kill her. How she wished that her life would just end.

She also felt the confusion and surprise of her friends. This was certainly a good explanation as to why they never or barely heard something from Hay-Lin and it explained why they only heard of her parents' death after half a year.

Yan-Lin sent a look of disgust at her granddaughter, obviously being repulsed by the show of emotion.

'Don't be weak.' she said, while more whispers and murmurs filled the room. 'Strength can only be found when one is completely alone. I taught you that. Now stop your pathetic wining and …'

'ENOUGH!'

Yan-Lin backed away as her eyes wandered to Will. Will was frowning at her while anger burned in her eyes. Hay-Lin had suffered enough and Will wasn't planning on letting Yan-Lin torture her granddaughter any more.

'You have done enough.' Will said, her voice slightly quivering with anger.

Yan-Lin looked at Will, fear slightly settling in her being. Will glowed softly and her eyes were burning with anger.

'You have confessed your crimes.' Will spoke, slowly calming down. 'The Council of Kandrakar has agreed on a punishment for you.'

A smile came on Yan-Lin's face. Will knew what she was thinking. That she was going to put her in the Tower of Mists so that she would repent. Will had never thought that locking up was a good option as a punishment. The people imprisoned wouldn't repent, but only think of their revenge and try to escape. Phobos had been a perfect example of that.

'At first they wanted to execute you, but Kandrakar will not kill unless it is the only possible option.' Will said, getting a snicker from Yan-Lin.

'How foolish. How weak.' she said. 'You could have eliminated my soul. I have no living body, if you'd killed me I would have disappeared forever.'

Will ignored the taunting and continued.

'The second option was to throw you in the Tower of Mists, but I have experienced that locking people up is a very inefficient way to punish them. They will not feel remorse, only anger. That's why you will not be placed in the Tower of Mists.'

Yan-Lin raised an eyebrow. If Will wouldn't kill her or place her in the Tower of Mists, then how could she be punished?

'That's why we have decided to leave the judgment to the Father.' Will concluded. 'Because we cannot punish you sufficiently enough. Your fate lays in his hands.'

Will waved with her hand and another door appeared. This one was, if possible, whiter than Kandrakar and a soft halo came from it. Yan-Lin's eyes were wide of fear. For someone who renounced their believe and even scoffed at God, this was the worst punishment to think off. Will knew that the Father would punish her as he saw fit but she couldn't help but feel a sting of pity for Yan-Lin as she started to fight the force of the bonds who were trying to pull her to the door.

'NO! You can't do this!' Yan-Lin yelled. 'You cannot send me to Him!'

'I am afraid that this is the only way, Yan-Lin.' Will said gravely.

The robes that held Yan-Lin gave one good tug and flung her at the doors. The doors opened and Yan-Lin flew in. Hay-Lin watched with pain in her heart how her grandmother disappeared. It was hurting her because she would never get the chance to get even with the woman. And that she lost the last member of her family. Right after the doors closed and disappeared.

A silence kept the room in trance. Everyone looked at the place where the doors had been standing. Were that the doors to heaven? Or was it something else? The silence was broken by small sobs emitting from Hay-Lin.

'I hope you're happy now.' she said softly to Will. 'You not only made me lose my last family member but also tortured me through this ordeal. I hope you finish this quickly and kill me so that I can repent for my sins as well.'

Will looked sadly at Hay-Lin. Hay-Lin's anger was building again and hatred started to shine in her eyes. Though this hatred was not only directed at Will. It was also directed at Yan-Lin and a small bit was directed to herself.

'You can't kill her!'

Hay-Lin and Will looked up to see Irma standing in the stands. Cornelia was standing next to her and both were looking at Will.

'I know she's been…evil but it wasn't her fault!' Cornelia defended.

'Yeah! Yan-Lin jacked up her brain! You can't punish her for that!' Irma added.

Will, despite the subject, smiled. This was exactly the reason why she wanted hose two as Hay-Lin's watchers. She could feel how the emotions and thoughts about Hay-Lin were wavering in the rebellion. Many still thought that Hay-Lin should be locked up, so to make sure this wouldn't happen again but there were rebels who were starting to doubt those thoughts. It was true that Yan-Lin had changed Hay-Lin but they weren't sure if they could blame this whole thing solely on Yan-Lin.

'Shut up.' Hay-Lin muttered at Irma.

'I will not shut up!' Irma replied. 'Come on Hay! This isn…'

'I said SHUT UP!' Hay-Lin yelled angrily at Irma. 'You abandoned me and now you suddenly show that you're sorry? You can most definitely go drown yourself for all I care. You betrayed me twice and I do not need your help. Not yours. Not Cornelia's. Not anybody's help! I've managed to stay alive on my own for this whole time so don't start to crawl back to me! I've found my true strength and you know that you can only find it alone. You are born alone and you will die alone. Everything in between is just one nightmare!'

Hay-Lin was breathing heavily as she turned her back on Irma and Cornelia. Both looked stupefied at Hay-Lin and tears were filling their eyes. They had hoped Hay-Lin had opened her eyes after Yan-Lin's revelation, but to no success.

Will had watched how the process unfolded and sighed sadly. The way to healing would be a long one but Will was sure Hay-Lin would find her way again, if she only got some time.

'Hay-Lin.' Will said, gaining Hay-Lin's attention. 'To only believe in yourself is not the path to strength. The power of trust between friends, that is true strength and your punishment will last until you see this.'

Hay-Lin's eyes were wet of tears but she seemed to refuse to cry any longer. Her tear stained face was contorted in anger as she awaited her punishment.

'You have committed a lot of crimes such as killing hundredths of people, torturing, submitting other planets to your reign and destroying lands. You have played with the balance of powers and actually killed whole Kandrakar together with your grandmother. Even though your grandmother was behind your step to darkness, it was you who committed those crimes. But because you are, just like many others, a victim of Yan-Lin's wicked route to power, the Council and I have decided to give you a second chance.' Will said strongly.

There were no whispers. Many approved with giving her a second chance and those who didn't approve, didn't dare to say it. Hay-Lin's eyes went wide in terror. She had never counted on this. She had hoped for the Tower of Mists or death. A second chance would be more like a life time torture.

'You will return to Earth, to your family's restaurant.' Will said. 'The people of Earth will have a recollection of this war but their memories of who was the leader and the cause of so much pain will be altered. You, just like Irma Lair, Cornelia Hale, Eric Lyndon, Bess Grumper, Matthew Olsen, Uriah Dunn and many others, are free to walk Earth without being killed for your deeds. You will work at your family's restaurant as a waitress, until you are deemed by the new owners of your restaurant to be well enough to rerun your restaurant.'

'You can't do this to me.' Hay-Lin said. 'I own that place! I was born there! You can't make me a measly waitress! And besides, who would want to own it?'

'I will!'

Hay-Lin turned around to see Martin standing in the stands. Alchemy was standing next to him.

'I will as well.' she said.

'It's mine.' Hay-Lin bellowed. 'You two have no rights to…'

'So shall it be.' Will said, interrupting Hay-Lin's threats.

Hay-Lin turned back to Will, hatred shining in her eyes.

'Just lock me up.' Hay-Lin said, her voice breaking as pleads started to form in her mind. 'You hate me, I hate everyone. I think that's a fair deal. You can't send me back to Earth. You simply can't!'

'This is my final judgment.' Will said. 'Cornelia and Irma are appointed to watch over you and make sure you won't fall back to crime. Your powers over air…'

Will held her hand up and a beam came from Hay-Lin. Slowly a silvery orb was formed in Will's hand. Will waved over it with her other hand and the orb disappeared.

'Are returned to Kandrakar. You still have, just like every ex-Guardian, your Eternal gift but you are not capable of using your life force to use your former magic. You will wait in the Tower of Mists before you are send back to Earth.' Will continued.

The Guards of Kandrakar came from the doors and started to pull Hay-Lin away. Hay-Lin yelled and threatened and just before she left through the doors, she pleaded.

'Please! Kill me! That's the only thing I deserve!' she yelled before the doors closed.

A silence filled the room again. Many people were staring at Will while others looked at the door. Slowly whispers started to fill the room and Will sighed heavily. The trials were done and punishment was enacted. Now the only thing that remained was the inauguration of the Guardians.

'Will Taranee Cook, Natasha Lewis, Ehren Masters, Ilana Russell, Edeline Anderson and Georgiana Kazemaru come forward?' Will spoke.

A soft grumble and a snicker were followed by the movement of the five girls and Taranee. The girls walked a little nervously to Will who sat above her pond, smiling. They bowed before her and looked at her.

'Taranee, I am afraid that you have to return the Auramere of Fire.' Will said.

Taranee nodded. She had known that Will would call her for that. She bowed her head as Orube came from the stands. Orube touched Taranee's forehead and Taranee felt how the Auramere was leaving her. For a short moment, she wanted to hold on to it but then decided to let it go, knowing that it would be better if the next generation received its powers. Orube made the orange orb disappear and went to stand next to Will.

'You've been a remarkable Guardian.' Will said to Taranee as Taranee got up. 'I would like you to join Kandrakar as my advisor.'

Whispers roamed through the room and people looked in anticipation to what Taranee might say. Taranee was pleasantly surprised by the offer and looked surprised at Will. She then looked at Georgi. Georgi smiled to her but Taranee had a feeling that it was a fake one. Her gaze wandered to the stands, to Nigel. Nigel smiled at her as well, being proud of her, but there was also something in his smile that wasn't sincere. Taranee smiled as she turned back to Will, bowing her head in gratitude.

'I am honored that you ask me, Oracle.' she said. 'But I still have my life on Earth. I have people who I love and care off and I cannot leave them behind. Perhaps when my life has ended and you still want me as your advisor, then I will take the job. But for now…'

Will bowed her head with a smile, knowing that Taranee would say that. But she tried at least.

'As you wish.' Will said before gesturing Taranee back to the stands.

Taranee sent her a sad smile before walking back to the stands and sitting with Nigel, who gave her a kiss on her cheek. Will smiled before she turned to the Guardians, who were waiting expectantly.

'You five have suffered a lot.' Will said. 'You all lost your families and four of you even joined the assassination squads of Hay-Lin, trying to take revenge on the one who killed your families. You were more or less forced to take up your Guardian role. That is why I ask you, do you want to continue your Guardianship?'

The five girls looked surprised at Will before they huddled together discussing the current matter. It didn't take long before they broke up.

'We want to continue, ma'am.' Natasha said with a nod.

Will smiled.

'So be it. Natasha, please return the Heart of Kandrakar to me.'

Natasha sent an unsure look at the others, but they shrugged and she slowly walked forward. She took the Heart and the five of them detransformed. With quivering hands, Natasha gave the Heart back to Will. Will accepted the Heart and waved her hand over it. A beam came from the Heart and a pink orb appeared in her hand. With another wave of her hand the orb disappeared. She hovered over her pond and went to stand right in front of Natasha. Natasha unconsciously backed away a little while Will walked over to Ehren. The Heart was glowing bright blue, brighter than the first time.

'Ehren Masters. Your power will be uncontainable and unstoppable. You are the Guardian of Water.' Will spoke clearly.

A blue beam shot from the Heart of Kandrakar and Ehren was encircled by it. Slowly a cocoon of water started to envelop her. The others watched in amazement as the water cocoon bursted and Ehren appeared in her Guardian form. The water from her cocoon started to swirl around her and Ehren directed it into the air, creating an "E".

'Now this is a power boost!' she said impressed.

Excitement started to rise as the other girls waited for Will to announce their status. They couldn't wait to know how it felt to transform with their full power.

'Ilana Russell. Your power will be destructive yet delightful. You are the Guardian of Fire.' Will said as she moved to Ilana.

The Heart of Kandrakar colored orange and an orange beam shot from it and encircled Ilana. Ilana was quickly enveloped by a fire cocoon. Once the transformation was completed the fire shot to different places, yet it didn't burn anyone who touched it. Ilana emerged, completely transformed and formed a fiery "I" in the air, next to Ehren's "E".

Will moved to Edeline, who was smiling at her.

'Edeline Anderson. Your power shall be firm and strong. You are the Guardian of Earth.' Will said as the Heart glowed green.

A green beam shot from the Heart at Edeline and leaves and flowers appeared out of nowhere and started to envelop Edeline in a cocoon. When the transformation was over Edeline directed the flowers and leaves in the air, creating another "E", though this one was a little further away of the "I" and the "E".

Will had walked to Georgi, who was almost jumping out of excitement. She smiled at her as Georgi looked expectantly at her.

'You, Georgiana Kazemaru.' Will said, getting a growl from Georgi for the use of her full name. 'Your power will be forceful yet light. You are the Guardian of Air.'

The Heart of Kandrakar glowed grey and a silver colored beam shot at Georgi. She was enveloped by a tornado like cocoon. After her transformation, Georgi created an air funnel and shaped it in the letter "G", making it fly next to Edeline's "E".

The four Guardians were flying beneath their letters and watched how Will walked to Natasha.

'Natasha Lewis. Your power will be the combination of the other four. You are the Guardian of Quintessence and the Keeper of the Heart.' Will concluded, hanging the Heart around Natasha's neck.

The Heart glowed fiercely pink and pink electricity surrounded and enveloped her and when the transformation was completed, she shot up in the air. She zipped between the "E" from Edeline and the "I" from Ilana. An electrical letter "N" appeared, spelling the word GENIE in the air. The five girls swirled happily around the letters and did a sky five before Will made them disappear. They landed on the ground before her, waiting for Will to speak.

'These five are the champions of Kandrakar. They will keep the balance in the Infinite Dimensions.' Will said as an applause started to rise for the Guardians.

Once the applause subdued the Guardians were planning on returning to the stands but Will spoke up again.

'There are, however, some problems we have to deal with.'

The Guardians looked confused at Will, just like the other people in the room.

'The Guardians had always been from only one planet.' Will said. 'Though this is the first generation to have one Guardian from another world. Thus my question is, where do you want to live from now on? Earth or Metamoor?'

The Guardians looked troubled at each other. They had all thought to return to Earth, except for Ilana who thought that she would return to Metamoor, to their normal lives after the war, but now they realized that they didn't have a home. Not on Earth, not on Metamoor. They looked troubled at Will.

'To be very honest Oracle.' Natasha said. 'We don't have a home. We want to stay together but…We don't know.'

'I would join them to Earth.' Ilana added. 'I always wanted to go there and well…now is my chance?'

Will smiled calmly at them and looked from them to the stands in the room.

'As you've heard, the Guardians do not longer have a family of their own. Now I ask you, you who have fought this war, is there anyone who would want to adopt one of the Guardians? If so, please come forward.' Will asked gently.

The Guardians looked nervously at the stands. Who would want to take them in? If no one wanted them, did that mean that they had to stay here? What if there were people they barely knew who wanted to adopt them? Do they have to go with them?

It stayed quiet for a bit when people started to move. It weren't much but a small group of people walked up to them. The girls sighed in relief when they saw who wanted to adopt them. Cornelia and Angelo, Irma and Andrew, Caleb, Taranee and Nigel, Cassidy and Joel, Alchemy and Martin and Sam and Samantha. The pairs all divided, with Caleb alone in the middle.

'We all are prepared to adopt a Guardian, if they want to.' Angelo said with a reassuring smile to the girls.

'You all know that you are obliged to live on Earth in the same town if one of the Guardians pick you. Do you accept these terms?' Will said.

'Sure we do.' Irma replied. 'We even already decided where to live if we are picked.'

'And that is?' Will asked, even though she knew where they were planning to live.

'Heatherfield.' Caleb said with a grin. 'Best place to assemble a Guardian group, don't you agree?'

Will shot him a small smile before turning her attention to the Guardians. They were waiting patiently for Will to speak.

'Guardians. As you see, there are more couples than there are Guardians. You have the choice to stay with one of them, or to remain here in Kandrakar.' Will said. 'But choose wisely. For when your choice is made, you will deem them as your parents, though the memory of your real parents will remain.'

This surprised the Guardians. It was quite a surprise that they would deem other, strange people as their parents. They were slightly afraid that they would eventually forget their real parents. They huddled together once again, this time discussing longer. Ilana seemed to be in favor while Ehren was doubtful. Edeline was against it while Georgi and Natasha were wavering, though both started to lean towards the choice of choosing one of the pairs or Caleb.

They finally figured it out and turned to Will.

'We've decided with who we want to live and consider as parents.' Natasha said, getting nods from the other girls.

Will bowed her head.

'Who do you choose?'

'I choose Angelo and Cornelia!' Ehren said, flying to the couple.

She then looked with puppy-dog eyes at them.

'That is…as long as you want me?' she said, almost sounding sad.

Angelo gave her a hug while Cornelia smiled at her.

'We wouldn't have wanted it any other way.' Angelo whispered in her ear, making Ehren smile as she pulled Cornelia into their hug.

'I choose Joel and Cassidy.' Ilana said as she walked to the two of them

'My, we get the firefly, Joel!' Cassidy said with a grin. 'We're going to have a lot of fun.'

Joel said nothing but hugged Ilana.

'Welcome to the family, kid.' he said.

'I choose Andrew and Irma.' Edeline said, walking to the two in question.

Andrew and Irma grinned at each other. Irma then winked at Cornelia.

'Hey Corny, do you see it? I've got Earth and you've got Water. I'm telling you, someone is playing with us.' she said with a grin.

Cornelia just grinned while Andrew tossed Edeline in the air, making her fly in front of him.

'Don't worry kid, we'll take care of you.' Irma said with a grin.

Edeline looked worried at Andrew but Andrew smiled at her.

'Welcome to your new life.' he said.

Meanwhile Georgi had flown at Taranee and Nigel.

'Would you two want to adopt me, please?' she asked politely.

Taranee and Nigel looked at each other with a smile before smiling at Georgi. They pulled her in a hug and Georgi grinned widely.

'We make sure you'll get a great life.' Taranee said with a grin.

'Don't worry kiddo. You're in good hands.' Nigel said as he raffled through her hair.

Georgi smiled before turning around. The only one of the Guardians who had to choose was Natasha. Natasha slowly walked to Caleb, looking one more time at Will before taking a deep breath and turning back to Caleb.

'Caleb…Do you want to be my father?' she asked him.

Caleb's eyes widened. He looked from Natasha to Will and back. Will saw the hurt in Caleb's eyes and the longing but she could feel that he didn't want to leave Natasha. The two had grown to each other and he actually felt honored to act as Natasha's father.

There was a silence as everyone looked at Caleb. Sam and Samantha were smiling at him while Martin gave him the thumbs up. Natasha started to feel very nervous and started to turn her back on him, thinking he wouldn't want her, when Caleb's hand took hold of her shoulder. He turned her around and hugged her closely.

'I know this is difficult.' he said. 'And I thank you for choosing me. I will do my best to protect you.'

Natasha smiled and even a tear rolled down her face as she hugged Caleb, glad that he accepted her. Will couldn't help but feel different emotions. On one hand, she was glad that Natasha and Caleb would return to Earth, living a normal life which they deserve. On the other hand she had silently hoped for Caleb to stay in Kandrakar, but she knew that this was the best choice for all of them.

People started to clap and the two broke their hug, smiling at everyone. Today was the beginning of a new life.

_A month later_

Will looked down at the Viewing Pool. It had been a month since the trials and she was looking at the situation on Earth. Things were going like they used to, though there were some minor changes. The Guardians were famous throughout Earth, but only a select group of people knew the real identity of them. Will had made sure that the governments didn't try to hunt them down so that they could be used in warfare. Hay-Lin was working as a waitress under the observing eyes of Irma and Cornelia. She still seemed cold and angered, but Will knew it was only a façade. She would adept eventually. The big war that Hay-Lin had started was written down in every history of every planet, including Kandrakar's. Though on Earth it had gotten a slight alteration so that people wouldn't go out to seek vengeance.

All of the Guardians had integrated in Heatherfield and were quite happy together with their new families. Andrew and Irma had recently purchased a house on the cliffs of Heatherfield and a dog after a lot of persuasion from Edeline. Andrew joined the police force while Irma became a trainee at the local aquarium. Taranee and Nigel lived near the mountains of Heatherfield, something Georgi loved. Taranee became a psychologist while Nigel started an own company, giving Companies advice on how to arrange their economic affairs. Cassidy and Joel lived together with Ilana near the sea. Ilana had found it ironic that her "parents" wanted to live near water while she was more someone who preferred the warmth of a fireplace but she still loved it to go to the beach. She also perfectly integrated in the Earth society and was a B-student, much to Ehren's annoyance, who was a C-average student. Cassidy managed to become a pediatrician while Joel entered the police force as well. Angelo and Cornelia had managed to rebuild the dojo where Angelo taught in martial arts. Cornelia worked as a park ranger, something that humored Irma to no ends. Caleb and Natasha lived in Will's old house. Will had given them her house, including all that she owned on Earth, seeing that she wouldn't be able to do much with it and to give them a head start. Caleb worked at Angelo's dojo as well, teaching people how to handle weapons.

Alchemy and Martin ran the Silver Dragon without many problems. Matt was still in rehab while Mandy was studying for lawyer. Terry's parents were busy with moving to Heatherfield as well, giving Terry and Kerry the chance to visit their uncle and Natasha more often. Malcolm and Leona returned to their home, just like Sam and Samantha. Maqi, son of Ari of Arkhanta had been allowed to visit Earth several times and was getting closer to Edeline, while he seemed to be the natural opposite of Natasha. Lilian and Chris became pretty close and returned to attending Sheffield Institute with G.E.N.I.E.

On Metamoor things had changed as well. Elyon had judged her brother and she had him put on probation, which meant that she kept his magic under control and he had to take part in some community service. The regents weren't that happy with the idea at first but everyone had to agree that Phobos had been imprisoned for too long, considering that it wasn't his fault to begin with. He got a small house on the castle grounds with guards posted nearby. He still had some personality issues but he was starting to become the guy he used to be and even sometimes helped Elyon with making decisions. Elyon was glad her brother seemed to return to humanity. She was even happier when she found out that Marcus was one of the few who were allowed to travel between a certain amount of worlds. The two of them spent a lot of time together when Elyon isn't busy with her regal duties.

On Zamballa things returned to normal. Bowbreaker, son of Ironwood, was elected as the new Keeper of the Heart of Zamballa and he reigned with wisdom, even for his young age.

Arkhanta hadn't changed much except that the Guardians, and their families, were invited for the Games of this year, something the ex-Guardians weren't too happy with. They could easily remember their first time and how stupid they looked during those games.

Dreadmore was restored to peace as well, Kat'ali being the new Keeper of the Heart of Dreadmore.

Will now looked at the Viewing Pool. showing her the current generation of Guardians sitting around a table in her old house. Caleb and Taranee came in, carrying drinks and some cake.

'Can you believe it! We have to go to all the planets under Kandrakar's reign to tell them we're the new Guardians.' Ehren muttered. 'Can't we just send them an e-mail?'

Taranee grinned at that while Caleb held back a snort. The two knew what kind of mission this was and they couldn't help but be humored to see the five complaining.

'I mean hello! We're the Guardians of the INFINITE Dimensions!' Ehren said. 'Do you guys realize how many that are? INFINITE!'

'Infinite is a little exaggerated.' Taranee said with a grin. 'But there are a lot.'

'It can't be that bad, can it?' Edeline asked hopeful.

Natasha shrugged.

'I don't know. Let's unroll that list and see how many there are.'

Will smiled when she saw Taranee looking horrified of the idea.

'Wait! No! Don…!' she tried to say but it was too late.

Natasha had already started unrolling the enchanted roll of paper and the list started to unroll itself in the living room. Taranee moaned in annoyance while Caleb looked surprised. He had known there were many worlds, but this was overdoing it. The Guardians looked horrified as the list kept growing and growing. The room was filled to the height of their stomachs when the list finally stopped.

'This. Is. Torture!' Ehren yelled frustrated as she let herself fall into the list.

Will grinned softly before making the image disappear.

'You miss him, don't you?'

Will turned her head to the left, seeing Orube standing next to her. Orube bowed her head a bit before looking back up, smiling.

'I won't deny it, no.' Will admitted. 'But there is nothing that can be done. This is my destiny and I will fulfill it.'

Orube nodded her understanding and started to return to the Chamber of the Aurameres.

'I just found it interesting that you, with so much knowledge, can't find a solution.' she said. 'I'll return to my post.'

Will looked after her before returning her attention to the Viewing Pool. An image of Caleb appeared in it and she smiled sadly at it. Caleb was speaking with Taranee in another room while the Guardians were busy rerolling the list.

'You still miss her, don't you?' Taranee said softly.

'Yeah.' Caleb said. 'And I'm not the only one. Natasha wished she was here too, without her Oracle status.'

Taranee patted his shoulder sympathetically.

'I think it's better for you to move on. She would want you to do it too.' she said.

Caleb smiled sadly at her.

'Maybe.'

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><p><em><strong>[AN] That was the single last chapter of this story! I thought the previous chapter was long but this one beats it…35 pages people!**_

_**BTW. evil ending hum? What will happen? Though only the epilogue remains... (insert mean laugh)**_

_**And Yan-Lin…yeah… You know when I started this story I never had thought of making Yan-Lin as the main villain. I started with just Hay-Lin being the villain, but then I started to pity her (and love her) so I blamed it all on Yan-Lin. There is one fic that gave me the idea of blaming it on Yan-Lin and it's written by Kalims. It was one of the first fics I've ever read and I like it a lot. It's called "I Will Not Fall". So Kalims thank you! Also I would like to note that the idea of being completely alone is not the way to true strength comes a little bit from the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga… BTW. Is it me or does Yan-Lin look a bit like the Emperor from Star Wars? Anyway, now only the epilogue remains and people guess what? The Christmas special(s)/sequels are in the making! I also have poll running for one so please, vote! **_

_**Review and wait for the epilogue!**_


	31. Epilogue

_**[A/N] The girls call their adoptive parents mom and dad. For example: When Ehren says mom, she means Cornelia and when she says dad, she means Angelo.**_

_**Now, on with the final chapter!**_

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

It had been three months since the final battle against Hay-Lin's forces. We, the Guardians, have just recently fulfilled our first mission, giving notice that there was a new Oracle and introduce ourselves to all the dimensions under Kandrakar's reign. Though some weren't that bad, some were just ridiculous. There was this one planet where they only spoke in math functions! I was having nightmares for days!

But that's not important. What's important is that Hay-Lin is still grumpy and scary. aunt Irma even said that she had threatened them with a knife once before. I still don't see how she could recover to that so-called "happy" Hay-Lin, but I have to trust the Oracle.

Onto happier occasions. Everyone married! Mandy married Matt, Cassidy married Joel, Taranee married Nigel, Irma married Andrew, Cornelia married Angelo and Alchemy married Martin! Soon after that the Warriors gave up their powers, stating that they trusted us, the Guardians, enough to give up their powers. This just means that they've got a small amount of their former powers and can joke about us when we need to do a job.

But you know, I couldn't care less. We were happier than we've been in years. Our new parents were great and they could relate to our trouble with scoring well at school and keeping peace in the universe. Ehren lives happily with aunt Cornelia and uncle Angelo, Edeline couldn't wish for anything more with uncle Andrew and aunt Irma (my favourite aunt), Ilana loves that she lives so close to the beach with uncle Joel and aunt Cassidy while Georgi lives quietly with uncle Nigel and aunt Taranee. And me? I've never been happier as well. I've got a great dad and even better friends. Terry and Kerry even moved to Heatherfield and Terry and I are dating! Who would have seen that coming, hum? Of all the girls, me and Edeline are the only ones with a relation. I still can't believe that Edeline got something with that toad of a Maqi! He's so full of himself! He just can't believe we can fight him without our powers, even if I proved him who is boss. Ehren already proposed that I should turn him into a toad but something tells me that I would be punished if I did that. If not by the Oracle than by Edeline, so I just have to put up with him...

Talking about new relations, my dad finally found his woman! Yep, we never thought it would happen but it did. Now I've got a mom as well and believe me, she's great! Though we sometimes end up bickering, especially when it concerns my room. How can she be like that if she knows I've got a whole universe to look after?

'Tasha! Are you ready?'

I smiled and looked one more time in the mirror. Today was my grandmother's birthday and she was celebrating it in Metamoor. The others were already waiting in the living room while me, my mom and dad were busy preparing ourselves. Dad wasn't really happy with going. I understand that he still has some issues with grandma's boyfriend but come on! He's rather nice now...

'Coming mum!' I yelled as I walked out of my room.

I was greeted by the whole family. Ehren and Ilana were bickering as usual while Georgi was talking animatedly with uncle Joel while Edeline was looking helplessly between Ehren and Ilana. The other adults were talking with each other when aunt Taranee noticed me.

'Hey Natasha, all ready?' she asked with a grin.

I nodded with a smile and noticed how Ehren and Ilana stopped their bickering. They smiled at me and we patiently waited for my dad to emerge from the bedroom. Mom started to become impatient and rolled her eyes, making the other adults grin. Dad could be such a baby. I blushed of embarrassment when mom sighed annoyed and walked out of the room.

'Oh boy.' aunt Taranee said. 'He did it this time.'

'You can't blame him. I mean, Phobos as possible step-father is something that would scare many people.' aunt Irma said lazily on the couch.

'Caleb! Get your ass here!' mom yelled. 'This is your mother's birthday! You can't skip that!'

My friends started laughing and I only blushed out of embarrassment. I was apparently not the only one. Dad came out with a very red face, his tie hanging loosely around his neck.

'It's worse enough that he's going to be there.' he muttered. 'But do I really have to wear this monkey suit?'

Mom rolled her eyes as she started to tidy his suit, doing the tie.

'You've been on Earth since your 17th year and still you don't know how to tie a tie. Shouldn't you be ashamed of yourself?' she asked.

He smiled goofily at her before he took her in his arms, dipping her and making her giggle before kissing her.

'Why should I if I've got you?' he said, making me roll my eyes. Could parents be even more embarrassing?

Some puking sounds rang through the room and I watched how Ehren and aunt Irma were acting as if they were puking. I grinned when aunt Cornelia gave Ehren a smack on the head while aunt Taranee did the same with aunt Irma. Aunt Irma winced and looked annoyed at aunt Taranee.

'What? They've got all the time they want if we're not here!' she said. 'And they have to show off now? I want food!'

'And then you complain about me!' Ehren said as she stared at her parents. 'I'm not complaining!'

'Yet.' uncle Angelo said with a grin.

Ehren turned to me with pleading eyes.

'Nat, please fold us out of here! The world has turned against me!'

I grinned at her and grabbed for the Heart of Kandrakar. As I prepared to fold aunt Cornelia spoke up.

'As long as you don't fold us above that lake again. It was not funny to swim to the other side while you flew above us.'

I reddened. It only happened once!

'I remember when Rissa folded us above the junk yard in Heatherfield. We smelt worse than Blunk!' aunt Cassidy said with a grin.

'Well the top of a school building is not a perfect place to land either.' aunt Taranee said with a grin.

More grins but I ignored it as I slashed a fold open in the middle of the room. I stepped through it to ignore any taunts and landed perfectly in the throne room, where the Queen was waiting with her brother and grandma Nerissa.

'Grandma!' I said with a grin as I ran to hug her. 'Happy birthday!'

'Why can't I help but feel old when you call me that?' grandma said as she hugged me back.

Soon the rest of the family entered. My dad and Phobos had a slight glaring contest before mom and grandma stepped in, leading them away from one another. There was cake and we all sang a song, something Phobos thought was quite unnecessary. After that I was standing alone on the balcony, looking out over the beautiful landscape. Mom, dad and I came here every vacation, seeing that this was dad's birthplace and grandma was spending more and more time here. Georgi walked up to me and together we looked over the landscape.

'Ever thought we would end up like this?' she asked me as she played with the flute she had received from grandma during last Christmas.

I looked at her with a grin.

'No, but be honest. You wouldn't want it any other way.'

She grinned at me and gave me a hug. She broke the hug when both of us felt something buzzing. Both our faces fell as I pulled the string of the Heart up, showing that the stupid thing was buzzing and giving of light signals like a space ship. Both Georgi and I groaned when we looked at it. It was grandma's birthday! Could evil not wait for just 24 hours?

'Can you round up the girls?' I asked. 'I'll tell our parents.'

Georgi sighed in defeat and nodded, running off to find the rest. I ran to our parents, who were talking in the castle gardens. When they saw me coming with a glowing jewel around my neck they already knew why I came to them.

'Evil hum?' aunt Taranee said.

'Yeah.' I said a bit annoyed, glaring at my mother who grinned.

At that moment Ehren, Edeline, Ilana and Georgi came walking at me.

'Really now? During a birthday? I swear, someone's toying with us.' Ehren complained.

'How many times I've said that.' aunt Irma and aunt Cassidy said, grinning at each other.

'Jinx!' they said simultaneously.

They kept trying to jinx each other while the others rolled their eyes. I hugged my parents and grandma before creating a fold to Kandrakar.

'Sorry grandma!' I said. 'Next time I'll stay longer, promise!'

With that we all left through the fold, closing it behind.

**...**

I watched how Natasha and the others walked through the fold. Nerissa turned to me, looking a bit annoyed.

'Seriously Will, couldn't evil wait for just a couple of hours? You guys don't visit enough for this!' she complained.

I shrugged before cuddling against Caleb.

'Sorry, can't do. Evil comes and goes when it pleases. And besides, you know how it goes.' I replied.

The others all grinned at me and I grinned back while looking up at Caleb. He smiled at me.

'I'm glad you managed to convince the Council to let you return to Earth as long as you left your Astral Drop in charge.' he said.

'Mmm. I just missed you too much.' I replied as he kissed me gently on my lips.

Orube was right. I had missed these things. And I'm glad I can still enjoy my life. We broke the kiss and I looked around the group. The only one missing was Hay-Lin, but she would join sooner or later, I was sure of that.

**The end.**

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><p><em><strong>[AN] That's all folks! Thank you for staying with me for so long! I hope you liked the epilogue. It was a bit...meh but still. Keep your eyes open for the Christmas special(s) and good night!**_

_**AND REVIEW!**_

_**Okay, one last thing which came up just recently. There is this person (romulan227) who was very impressed and who was even inspired by this story (much like Lexvan was) and he/she made a canon of mine. It's called " **From Slaves to Rebels" and it takes place little after chapter 19. I'm very glad that I managed to inspire someone and I'm proud that he made a canon of my little story. ^^****_

_****But I really recommend you all to read it. It's sweet and it gives a good view on how Cornelia and Irma went through their first few days back with the rebellion. So people, search for: "**From Slaves to Rebels" of romulan227******_


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